Iran links reopening Strait of Hormuz to ending wars in Lebanon and Gaza

BEIRUT — The secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, General Mohsen Rezaei, stated in an interview with al-Manar television channel that Tehran considers Lebanon's security to be an integral part of the security of the Middle East as a whole.

The senior Iranian official explicitly linked the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to the United States meeting Iran's conditions, especially halting the wars in Lebanon and Gaza. He said the region has become an "interconnected chain" so that a deterioration in security in one country leads to higher investment costs and reduced development prospects in others.

The secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Rezaei, believes that Israel no longer dares to attack Beirut's southern suburb in the face of the deterrent equation imposed by Iran and the losses inflicted by Hezbollah in recent months. He added that the southern suburb and Beirut were a "red line" for Iran, stating that Tehran was monitoring developments "with the utmost attention" and that Israel would be forced to withdraw from Lebanese territories it has entered.

He specified that Iran had prepared a list of conditions to communicate to the Americans and that, for now, it had authorized a provisional and limited passage for ships in the center of the strait.

The future of maritime traffic in the area, he said, would depend on the evolution of negotiations with Washington. He called for an end to wars and military operations in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria.

He also paid tribute to the victims in Lebanon and Hezbollah, praising "the unity of the Lebanese people in the face of Israel," and said that the secretary-general of Hezbollah, Sheikh Naim Qassem, "had managed to lead the Resistance during the current period." He also thanked Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, whose role on the Lebanese political scene he commended.

Rezaei also stressed that Iran does not intervene in the details of Hezbollah's military structure or in operational decisions. He believes that the party now has military cadres capable of managing their own affairs and making their own decisions, particularly with the emergence of two new generations of young leaders.

At least 4,350 people have been killed by Israeli bombardments in Lebanon since the war resumed between Hezbollah and Israel, which followed the conflict triggered by Washington and Tel Aviv against Tehran.

Finally, Rezaei said that reports of a plot to assassinate the youngest son of U.S. President Donald Trump were false. U.S. intelligence services referred Tuesday to a video aired by Iranian state television about an alleged plot to assassinate Barron Trump.