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Draft deal, hard conditions
Iran and Oman are putting the finishing touches on a bilateral draft agreement to establish defined navigation corridors through the Strait of Hormuz, but Tehran says reopening depends on the United States meeting a strict list of demands.
“reopening the vital waterway depends entirely on the United States meeting a strict list of demands”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei and Supreme National Security Council officials emphasized that agreeing on technical coordinates with Oman does not mean commercial tankers will start sailing freely without major concessions from Washington.
Tehran’s requirements include the immediate lifting of the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports, the unfreezing of Iranian foreign assets, and a full withdrawal of American forces from the region, along with financial war compensation for recent military strikes and an immediate halt to U.S. military actions targeting Iranian-backed militias in neighboring countries.
From the U.S. side, President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent voiced public optimism that a deal or temporary arrangement could be finalized imminently to restore commercial maritime traffic and stabilize global fuel prices.
A U.S. official told Reuters that Washington anticipated an agreement soon between Iran and Oman so normal oil traffic could resume, while Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran and Oman were “very close” to an agreement on a new shipping route but reopening would depend on other conditions, including U.S. compensation to Iran.
Voices clash over leverage
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr said the Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened until America “corrects its behavior,” and he linked that to demands including ending threats and insults, lifting the maritime blockade, compensating for damages, lifting sanctions, and releasing frozen Iranian assets.
Zolghadr added, “Until America corrects its behavior, the Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened,” as the Supreme National Security Council reviewed a draft agreement negotiated between Iran and Oman to establish new shipping lanes and allow traffic to resume gradually in return for concessions from the U.S.
Oman, meanwhile, described the talks as proceeding in a “positive and constructive” atmosphere, with its foreign ministry stressing the importance of avoiding any actions that could affect negotiations and the progress achieved.
Vice President JD Vance told Fox News that the United States wanted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to return to prewar levels and said Washington was using diplomatic, economic, and military tools to achieve a result that would serve American interests.
Vance also said “We don’t trust, we verify,” in an interview aired by Fox News Saturday, while Reuters reported that the United States would lift the blockade of Iranian ports only once the deal is announced to restore commercial shipping without impediments.
What’s at stake next
The dispute is playing out alongside renewed security incidents in the strait, with the United Arab Emirates saying Iran had hit another ship there and Reuters reporting that the UK maritime trade monitor UKMTO said a vessel had caught fire after being hit by an unknown projectile.
“the UAE said Iran had hit another ship there”
Oman condemned repeated attacks on vessels transiting the strategic waterway and warned against actions that could undermine negotiations, while the Omani Foreign Ministry said repeated attacks violated international law and threatened maritime safety and regional security and stability.
Reuters also tied the negotiations to a wider effort to end the war that began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, and it said agreement between Iran and Oman over the strait is seen as vital to that wider deal.
The U.S. position, as described by Reuters, is that it would never accept Iranian restrictions or tolls and that U.S. actions would be tied to Iran’s implementation of commitments, including lifting the blockade of Iranian ports if Tehran reopened the waterway without impediments.
For Iran, the IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi said reopening depends on Washington accepting Iran’s conditions and is “not related to the Iran-Oman negotiations,” keeping the Strait of Hormuz as a central lever in Tehran’s broader posture toward Washington.
