WASHINGTON/CAIRO, Aug 10 – Iran has tied any full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to a series of demands it wants the United States to address, even as Tehran says negotiations with Oman over a framework for restoring commercial shipping through the vital waterway are close to completion.
Iranian officials said discussions with Oman have made progress on establishing new shipping routes through the strait, but stressed that an agreement between Tehran and Muscat would not by itself guarantee the immediate return of unrestricted international traffic. Iran has demanded compensation for damage caused by US military action, an end to sanctions and threats, and the removal of restrictions on Iranian shipping and assets.
The developments come as the strategic waterway remains at the center of a wider confrontation between Iran and the United States. Before the conflict, roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed through the Strait of Hormuz, making any prolonged disruption a major concern for energy markets, governments and shipping companies.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday that discussions with Oman were proceeding in a “smooth and constructive” manner. He said the two sides had already agreed on a map outlining a proposed shipping route, although technical details for a joint statement were still being worked out.
According to Baghaei, the talks also addressed procedures for safe navigation, environmental protection, maritime services and efforts to prevent criminal activity at sea. He noted that some of these services would normally involve fees or payments.
Iran Sets Conditions for Restoring Commercial Shipping
Iran’s position became clearer after Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday that negotiations with Oman had entered their “final stages.” He nevertheless emphasized that reaching an arrangement with Oman would not automatically result in the reopening of the waterway.
Araqchi said Tehran expected Washington to meet a number of conditions before the strait could return to normal commercial operations. Among them is compensation for the destruction and damage caused by US attacks on Iran.
Iran and the United States are not holding direct negotiations, according to Araqchi. He said Tehran would not enter direct talks while Washington continued to violate an interim agreement reached in June. Communication between the two sides has instead been conducted through intermediaries.
The Iranian foreign minister also indicated that the dispute goes beyond the question of maritime traffic. Tehran wants guarantees that further US military threats and attacks will end, while also demanding changes to the economic pressure imposed on Iran.
Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, the outgoing secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, outlined several additional demands. They include an end to further US threats against Iran, a halt to military action involving Iran and its regional partners, the removal of what Tehran describes as a US naval blockade in the Gulf, the lifting of sanctions and the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad.
The list illustrates the scale of the disagreement between Tehran and Washington. Rather than treating the reopening of Hormuz as an isolated maritime issue, Iran appears to view it as part of a broader political and security settlement with the United States.
Iran also announced a change in the leadership of its top security body. Former Revolutionary Guards commander Mohsen Rezaei was appointed as Zolqadr’s successor in the position responsible for coordinating national security and foreign policy. Rezaei is generally regarded as a more outspoken figure, although Iranian authorities did not provide a reason for the leadership change or indicate whether it would produce a shift in policy.
Trump Says US Is Only “Semi-Negotiating” With Tehran
US President Donald Trump has described the current engagement with Iran in unusually restrained terms, saying Washington is “low-keying it” while keeping an eye on the country’s economic situation.
In an interview with Axios, Trump said the United States was “only semi-negotiating” with Tehran. He pointed to Iran’s high inflation and financial difficulties as factors being closely watched by Washington.
Trump has previously said the US military campaign against Iran was intended to prevent the Islamic Republic from developing nuclear weapons and to reduce its ability to threaten other countries in the region. But the continuation of the conflict has placed increasing pressure on his administration to find a path toward ending the confrontation.
The political stakes are also rising in the United States, with congressional midterm elections scheduled for November. Trump faces pressure over the economic consequences of the conflict, including higher energy prices and inflation.
The United States and Iran reached a ceasefire arrangement in June, but the truce later deteriorated. Washington reintroduced a blockade affecting Iranian shipping in the Gulf in July, which Tehran said violated the earlier agreement.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Washington would remove the blockade of Iranian ports once an agreement had been announced to restore commercial shipping without restrictions. The official said US measures would be linked to Iran carrying out its own commitments.
That position points to one of the central difficulties in the negotiations. Tehran wants US concessions before fully restoring access through Hormuz, while Washington appears to be linking its own steps to Iranian implementation of a shipping agreement.
There are also practical questions surrounding any proposed arrangement. Earlier discussions suggested that Iran could exercise significant control over vessel traffic entering the Gulf through the strait. Shipping industry representatives have questioned whether such an arrangement would be practical for commercial operators and whether it would provide enough certainty for insurers, carriers and energy companies.
Oil Prices Rise as Hormuz Deal Remains Uncertain
The uncertainty has continued to influence energy markets. Oil prices moved higher on Monday as traders weighed the possibility of a reopening against Iran’s insistence that Washington must first satisfy its conditions.
Brent crude was trading around $84.22 a barrel, reflecting concerns that a rapid return to normal shipping could be delayed if Tehran and Washington fail to agree on the sequence of steps required.
At the end of April, Brent had climbed to about $126 a barrel, its highest level since 2022, as disruptions linked to the conflict raised fears about the availability of crude and other energy supplies.
The Strait of Hormuz is particularly important because of the volume of global energy exports that normally pass through it. Any prolonged restriction can affect not only crude oil prices but also liquefied natural gas supplies, freight costs, insurance premiums and inflation in countries that depend heavily on imported energy.
The risks extend beyond the strait itself. Iran-linked Houthi forces in Yemen have increased attacks on shipping around another major maritime chokepoint between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea last month, saying it was a response to what they described as a Saudi siege against them in Yemen. Riyadh has rejected that accusation and supports Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
Violence has also intensified between Houthi fighters and government forces inside Yemen. Yemen’s military said Monday that a Houthi attack on the Red Sea port city of Mocha killed seven people, including military personnel and civilians.
The military said air defenses intercepted and destroyed 11 Houthi drones involved in the attack.
The developments underline the broader security risks facing commercial shipping across the region. Even if Iran and Oman finalize their arrangements for Hormuz, carriers may continue to face uncertainty elsewhere along key maritime routes.
For now, Tehran’s message remains that a technical agreement with Oman is only one part of the process. Iran wants Washington to make political, economic and military concessions before it fully restores access through the Strait of Hormuz. The United States, meanwhile, has indicated that its own measures will depend on Iran’s implementation of commitments.
That sequencing leaves the reopening of one of the world’s most important energy corridors dependent not only on maritime arrangements, but also on whether Washington and Tehran can bridge their much wider political dispute.