Iran Warns US on Strait of Hormuz as IMO Flags Shipping Risks

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said indirect talks with the US, mediated by Qatar and Pakistan, are "very intensive," with Iran having presented its conditions, according to IRNA on November 2. Araghchi reiterated that reopening the Strait of Hormuz requires acceptance of Iran's terms, warning of "severer and heavier" retaliation if the US attempts deception or military action. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said the same day that it remains unsafe to navigate the strait. Dominguez stated the IMO cannot confirm the removal of mines in the strait's traffic separation scheme, citing about 30 attacks on ships in October and nearly 400 vessels with 6,000 seafarers stranded in the region.