In the narrow waters of the Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world's traded oil passes daily, competing truths have emerged over the fate of the supertanker El Gaia. Iran's Revolutionary Guard claims the Panama-flagged vessel struck naval mines; the U.S. Central Command disputes this account, leaving the actual cause unresolved and the stakes unmistakably high. Into this contested silence, Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei has declared that negotiations with Washington will not begin until Iranian preconditions are met — a posture that closes diplomatic doors precisely when open ones a