Mohsen Rezaee, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told China’s ambassador that the Strait of Hormuz “will not be opened until the United States changes its behavior and accepts Iran’s conditions.”

Rezaee said the United States is “the source of insecurity” in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman, accusing Washington of imposing “an illegal war” that has put the entire region at risk, The Caspian Post reports, citing Al Jazeera.

He said the US “must end the war” and release Iran’s blocked funds, while also calling for an end to conflicts across the region, including in Lebanon and Gaza.

He added that any agreement between Iran and Oman on establishing a route through the Strait of Hormuz would remain “separate” from the broader issue of the Strait’s closure.

Rezaee described Iran and China as having a “strategic agreement,” noting that both countries are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS. He said the two organizations represented “great potential” for expanding bilateral ties in the future.

Rezaee also welcomed China’s decision not to support an “anti-Iranian and illegal” resolution introduced at the UN Security Council during Ramadan.