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Hormuz talks near deal
Iran said on Saturday that a deal with Oman on control of the Strait of Hormuz was close, but Iran also said reopening the waterway would not be enough by itself to free up the strait.
“Iran and Oman were “very close” to agreement on a new shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz”
NBC News reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran and Oman were “very close” to agreement on a new shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, while reopening depended on other conditions, including U.S. compensation to Iran.
The Reuters account said Iran’s Revolutionary Guard stated on Saturday that re-opening the Strait of Hormuz is conditional on the U.S. accepting Iran’s conditions and is not related to Iran-Oman negotiations.
In the same Reuters report, Hossein Mohebbi was cited saying, “The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is subject to the specific mechanisms and conditions of the Islamic Republic of Iran and is not related to the negotiations between Iran and Oman.”
U.S. blockade and escalation
The NBC News report said a U.S. official expected an agreement soon between Iran and Oman so that normal oil traffic could resume, and that “Once the deal is announced to restore commercial shipping without impediments, the United States will lift the blockade of Iranian ports.”
NBC News also said the United Arab Emirates reported that Iran had hit another ship in the Strait of Hormuz with a missile, with no injuries reported, and that there was no immediate comment from Iranian authorities.
In parallel, Reuters reported on Saturday that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said the reopening was not tied to Oman talks but to Washington accepting Iran’s conditions, citing Hossein Mohebbi via Tasnim.
Reuters framed the dispute as a conditional reopening, with Mohebbi saying it was “not related to the negotiations between Iran and Oman,” while NBC News tied any U.S. step to the deal restoring commercial shipping without impediments.
Competing claims on control
The Guardian reported that Iran said a deal with Oman to reopen the strait was close to being finalised, with reports suggesting Tehran would have control over ships entering the Gulf through the strategic waterway.
“The concession has already been made regarding some form of control over Hormuz”
The Guardian also quoted an Iranian source rejecting Donald Trump’s claims that a deal to reopen the strait was imminent, saying, “The concession has already been made regarding some form of control over Hormuz,” while “important details were still to be agreed.”
In the La Tribune report, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran and Oman were “very close” to reaching an agreement on a new maritime route traversing the Strait of Hormuz, and he specified conditions including compensation for what Iran describes as violations by the United States of the Islamabad Protocol from last June.
La Tribune also said the IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi stated, “As soon as the United States accepts Iran’s conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will undoubtedly be reopened,” tying any reopening to Washington’s acceptance rather than the Oman negotiations alone.
