TEHRAN -- Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stressed on Sunday that Iran will not engage in new negotiations with the United States as long as it keeps violating a war-ending memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two sides, while also warning that any agreement with Oman on maritime traffic does not mean the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened.
Speaking on the sidelines of a ceremony, Araghchi said there are currently no talks underway between Tehran and Washington, but messages are being exchanged through mediators.
“Some intermediary countries continue to make efforts to create the conditions for a resumption of negotiations. From our perspective, however, negotiations cannot resume unless and until the U.S. ceases its violations of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and takes appropriate steps to remedy the breaches that have occurred,” he added.
Araghchi also addressed Iran’s ongoing talks with Oman regarding new arrangements for maritime 
traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which has remained under Iranian control since the early days of the U.S.-Israeli terrorist military aggression that began on February 28.
He said that the discussions, which are now in their final stages, will result in the replacement of existing routes with new ones and that specialists are working on relevant charts and maps.
Araghchi confirmed that Iran and Oman are “very close” to reaching an agreement on the designation of a temporary route for maritime traffic in the strait.
“Negotiations with Oman regarding the legal mechanism and management of the Strait of Hormuz...are underway, and we are very close to an agreement,” he said.
However, the top diplomat made clear that reaching an understanding with Oman does not automatically guarantee the full reopening of the strait.
“This does not mean that the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened. An agreement on these arrangements may be reached, but the reopening of the strategic waterway is contingent upon the fulfillment of other conditions that have already been conveyed to the U.S. side through intermediaries,” he asserted.
Araghchi explained that Iran no longer considers the previous traffic separation scheme acceptable for vessel traffic, emphasizing the need to designate a new route, which involves extensive technical and legal complexities. 
He added that given these complexities, the two countries are currently negotiating on a temporary route that would serve as the basis for a permanent arrangement to be designated later.
Tehran and Washington signed the Islamabad MoU on June 17, under which Iran agreed to allow fee-free maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz for a period of 60 days. In compliance with the MoU, Iran devised a special maritime route for vessels to cross the chokepoint.
Araghchi noted that traffic had reached 60 percent of normal conditions within two weeks of the interim deal. However, he added that Washington attempted to establish new routes in the Strait aimed at undermining Iran’s management of the waterway, despite repeated warnings from Tehran.
“The violation of the memorandum and interference with Iran’s management of the Strait of Hormuz is by no means acceptable to the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the foreign minister stated.
At the ceremony entitled “Muharram and Ashura in the Mirror of Foreign Ministry Documents,” Araghchi also said Iran will remain steadfast in defending the country following an “unjust and cowardly” assault by the United States and Israel.
“Today, Iran is standing firm in the face of a storm of injustice and inhumanity. We remain steadfast in the commitment we made to martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei,” he said.
“We will not allow these unjustly shed bloods to be forgotten or ignored. We will neither forget nor forgive.”
Meanwhile, Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani, chairman of Iran’s Expediency Council, said the Islamic Republic will not relinquish its control over the Strait of Hormuz under any circumstances.
“Sovereignty over Hormuz belongs to the Islamic Republic,” Larijani said on Sunday. “We will not retreat at any cost, and the Strait of Hormuz will not return to its previous conditions.”
He said the only way for maritime transit through Hormuz to return to normal is for the United States and its allies to accept Iran’s mandate to manage the waterway.
“If they seek free passage, they must comply with the terms of the MoU,” Larijani said.
He said Washington is attempting to pressure Iran through naval blockades and restrictions on the country’s access to international trade, warning that further pressure will only harm the United States and its allies.
Separately, Iran’s Parliament moved to strengthen the country’s long-term strategy for the security and development of the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.
Hassan Qashqavi, spokesman for the parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said lawmakers approved the general framework of a strategic plan on security and sustainable development in the waterway.
The draft legislation, titled the “Strategic Action for the Security and Sustainable Progress of the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf,” was introduced to parliament on July 13.
Qashqavi said the commission reviewed written and verbal views submitted by relevant government agencies and institutions before approving the general framework without a dissenting vote.
Under the June MoU, Iran had agreed to allow fee-free maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz for a period of 60 days and established a special route for vessels, warning ships against using unauthorized routes.
The U.S. subsequently attempted to undermine the arrangement by establishing an unsafe corridor near the Omani coast, prompting Tehran to reinstate restrictions.
The separate Iran-Oman negotiations now seek to establish a new legal framework and mechanism for maritime traffic through the strategic waterway. 
However, Iranian officials have made clear that the conclusion of those talks is only one part of the broader conditions Tehran says must be met before the Strait of Hormuz can be fully reopened.