Iran says its people are ‘professional chess players’ in dealing with the US

What Happened

In the context of an ongoing US-Israeli military campaign against Iran that began in late February, Iran has issued a list of conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which it has largely kept closed since the war's onset. Iranian official Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, as reported by Tasnim news agency on Saturday, demanded an end to the 'war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq,' the lifting of a US counterblockade of Iranian ports, the termination of sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian assets, and compensation for wartime damage. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei on Monday stated that as long as the US naval blockade and other violations continue, the strait cannot be considered safe. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump told Axios he was 'low-keying it' with Iran, letting economic pressure mount, and described the situation as 'like a chess game.' Baghaei responded: 'Iranians showed they are professional chess players.' Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said an agreement with Oman defining new shipping lanes through the strait was in its 'final stages,' but reiterated that Tehran would not reopen the channel until US demands are met. The US Central Command announced it had rerouted 55 commercial vessels towards Iran, disabled two, and inspected two others to enforce port restrictions.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical chokepoint for global energy supplies—about one-fifth of the world’s oil and LNG transits the waterway. Iran’s closure of the strait, combined with US counterblockade operations, threatens severe economic disruption and risks a direct military confrontation. The exchange of demands and chess-game rhetoric suggests a protracted standoff that could draw in Iran-backed groups across the region—Hezbollah, Houthis, Iraqi militias—and test the cohesion of the US-Israeli alliance, especially given Netanyahu’s rejection of the Gaza peace proposal.

Watch For

Finalization of the Iran-Oman shipping lane agreement and whether it forces a US response; any shift in US military posture from interdiction to higher-risk operations; the status of indirect message exchanges; Israel’s next move on Gaza after rejecting the Trump plan, and potential blowback from the Centcom chief’s reported message to wind down fronts.