Md Tahmid Hussain Chowdhury, Staff Reporter || Iran has declared that it will never cede its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz under any circumstances. The country's Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has described this critical waterway as a "gift from the Creator" and Iran's "greatest lever of power." He made these remarks during an interview with state-run Press TV, addressing the recently signed memorandum of understanding with the United States.Ghalibaf asserted that the Strait of Hormuz lies entirely within Iran's territorial waters. He warned that the U.S. would not be permitted to fabricate disputes by making baseless claims that Iran is militarizing the strait.The Iranian official issued a stark warning, stating that Tehran would not retreat "even a hair's breadth" from its sovereignty over the strait. He characterized the recent agreement with the U.S. as nothing more than a temporary 60-day concession regarding toll exemptions in the Strait of Hormuz.Regarding the management of the waterway, Ghalibaf noted that Iran and neighboring Oman have already finalized all agreements and joint accords concerning toll collection in the Strait. However, Tehran has imposed stringent conditions on any future negotiations with Washington. Ghalibaf made it unequivocally clear that discussions with the U.S. will not advance another step until the five core agreements of the memorandum of understanding are fully implemented.Iran’s latest set of five conditions includes the cessation of Israeli hostilities and attacks on Lebanon, ensuring the security of Iran's oil exports, and the immediate release of frozen Iranian assets.Iran's 5 Stringent Conditions for a Final Deal with the U.S.Meanwhile, to prevent any unforeseen military escalation, Iran, the United States, and Lebanon have reportedly agreed to jointly establish a "de-confliction cell." Tehran and Washington have already finalized their representatives for this cell. Lebanon's capital, Beirut, is expected to designate its representative shortly, after which the cell will become officially operational.The Iranian leader further stated that the primary objective of the memorandum between Iran and the U.S. is to safeguard Lebanon's independence and sovereignty. However, he highlighted that the separate U.S.-brokered agreement to end the war between Lebanon and Israel serves, in his view, fundamentally as a security pact for Israel.Source: Al Jazeera