DUBAI/WASHINGTON/CAIRO, Aug 9 – Iran said Sunday that an agreement with Oman to establish new shipping arrangements through the Strait of Hormuz had reached its final stages, but Tehran made clear that reaching the deal alone would not be enough to reopen the strategically important waterway.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the proposed agreement would establish new shipping lanes through the narrow passage separating Iran and Oman. However, he stressed that the reopening of the strait would depend on the United States taking further steps that Tehran has demanded.
The comments came as uncertainty continued to surround efforts to restore commercial shipping through the waterway, one of the world’s most important energy routes. Before the latest disruption, roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passed through the Strait of Hormuz, making any prolonged interruption a major concern for energy markets and governments across the region.
Araqchi said the agreement with Oman was in its “final stages,” according to Iran’s Mehr news agency. He added that the proposed arrangements would come into effect only after Washington fulfilled conditions set by Tehran and the strait was reopened.
The Iranian position suggests that negotiations over the shipping mechanism and the broader dispute between Tehran and Washington remain closely connected. While the United States has indicated that an agreement involving Iran and Oman could pave the way for the waterway to reopen, Iranian officials have repeatedly warned that the issue cannot be resolved through a shipping arrangement alone.
A U.S. official said Friday that Washington expected a deal between Iran and Oman soon and believed it could lead to the reopening of the strait. The official also indicated that the United States was prepared to take steps connected to the restoration of commercial shipping, although the timing and sequence of those measures remained unclear.
Iran and the United States are not currently holding direct talks, Araqchi said. He maintained that Tehran would not begin negotiations with Washington while the United States was violating an interim understanding reached in June.
Despite the absence of direct discussions, messages between the two sides are being exchanged through intermediaries, according to the Iranian foreign minister. The use of intermediaries reflects the difficult state of relations between Tehran and Washington after months of military confrontation and failed efforts to establish a stable framework for a broader agreement.
Iran Demands Compensation and End to Sanctions
Iran has tied the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to a wider list of demands, including compensation from the United States for the damage caused by its military operations against Iran.
Washington began airstrikes against Iran in February 28, saying the campaign was intended to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons and to reduce threats posed by Iranian missiles and regional proxy groups. The fighting was followed by a ceasefire agreement in June, but tensions rose again after the United States imposed a blockade on Iranian shipping in the Gulf in July.
Tehran has described the blockade as a violation of the June truce, which Iranian officials say had already deteriorated. The dispute over the blockade has since become one of the central obstacles to restoring normal commercial traffic through the Gulf.
A U.S. official said Washington’s actions would be linked to Iran’s implementation of its own commitments. The official said the United States would lift its blockade of Iranian ports once an arrangement had been announced to restore commercial shipping without impediments.
That position points to a complicated sequence in which both sides expect the other to take steps first. Iran wants guarantees and broader concessions from Washington before reopening the waterway, while the United States has indicated that Iranian compliance will determine its own actions.
Araqchi said Iran’s conditions for reopening Hormuz included compensation from the United States for what Tehran considers widespread attacks against the country.
Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, secretary of Iran’s top national security body, outlined additional demands. He called for an end to what Iran describes as U.S. threats, a halt to military aggression against Iran and its regional allies, the lifting of the blockade and sanctions imposed on Iran, and the release of Iranian assets.
The demands cover issues extending well beyond maritime traffic, suggesting that the future of the Strait of Hormuz is being treated by Tehran as part of the broader confrontation with Washington rather than as a separate shipping dispute.
The situation was further complicated Saturday when the United Arab Emirates said Iran had attacked a vessel affiliated with its state oil company in the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE said the vessel had been targeted by a missile. Iran did not immediately comment on the allegation.
The reported incident raised fresh questions about whether commercial vessels could safely resume normal passage even if Iran and Oman complete their proposed agreement. Shipping companies have already faced considerable uncertainty over how vessels would be screened, directed and protected if traffic through the strait resumes.
Houthi Attacks Add to Regional Shipping Risks
The tensions have also extended beyond Hormuz. Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement has intensified attacks around another critical energy route, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia last month, saying their actions were a response to what they described as a Saudi siege of their forces in Yemen. Riyadh has rejected that allegation.
On Sunday, the Houthis said they had targeted the Jazan refinery operated by Saudi Aramco. Military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on X that the group had used a drone in the attack.
The Saudi energy ministry confirmed that a fire broke out at the refinery but said it was later extinguished. No injuries were reported, and authorities were dealing with the incident. The ministry did not identify the cause of the fire.
The Jazan facility, in southwestern Saudi Arabia, has the capacity to process about 400,000 barrels of crude oil a day. Houthi forces have previously targeted Saudi energy facilities in Jazan and Yanbu, while the group has also carried out attacks around the Red Sea.
The latest attacks come only days after Saudi Arabia signed a joint defence agreement with Turkey and Pakistan, reflecting growing concern among regional governments over the widening security crisis.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the new alliance was not aimed specifically at Iran or any other country. He described it instead as a broader commitment to regional security, with the participating countries expected to consult one another over the nature and extent of any assistance required following an attack.
It remains unclear how Pakistan or Turkey would respond to any future Saudi request for military assistance linked to the latest Houthi attacks.
For now, the proposed Iran-Oman arrangement remains the most immediate potential pathway toward restoring shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. But Tehran’s insistence that the agreement must be accompanied by wider U.S. concessions means the announcement of a shipping deal may not immediately translate into the full reopening of the waterway.
The coming days are therefore likely to depend not only on whether Iran and Oman finalize their shipping arrangements, but also on whether Washington and Tehran can resolve the deeper disagreements over sanctions, the blockade, military action and compensation. Until those issues are addressed, commercial operators and energy markets will continue to face uncertainty over one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.