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Hormuz deal, but no reopening
Iran’s authorities said they are weighing a finalised arrangement with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz, but Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a full reopening would depend on concessions from the United States.
“Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday said the agreement with Oman was “very close””
Araghchi said the agreement with Oman was “very close”, while warning that reopening the strait would hinge on the US staying true to commitments from a June memorandum of understanding that were violated.
The BBC said Oman described talks as positive, while Tehran warned that any deal would not see an immediate reopening of the vital waterway.
The BBC added that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said talks were in their final stages but reopening remained “subject to other conditions”.
CNN reported that Iran’s national security chief insisted traffic would not return to normal unless the US agrees to end the war, withdraw troops and make other long-sought concessions.
Demands, missile attack, and US stance
Iran’s security officials tied any reopening to US “behavior correction” and listed demands that included lifting a naval blockade, ending military action, and releasing frozen Iranian assets.
Mohammad Baqer Zulqader said “until America corrects its behavior, The Strait of Hormuz will not open,” and Fox News reported the demands also included compensation for damages and removal of sanctions.
The BBC said the UAE warned that Iran had targeted a tanker affiliated with Adnoc with a missile while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, and it reported that there were no casualties.
Reuters reported that the UAE said Iran had hit another ship there with a missile, while UKMTO said a vessel caught fire after being hit by an unknown projectile and that the fire was put out.
CNN also reported Vice-President JD Vance telling Fox News that “we're really in the middle of the game here,” and said the US was applying diplomatic, economic and military tools to reach the best outcome.
What’s at stake next
The sources framed the Hormuz talks as a gateway to resuming shipping traffic, but Iran’s officials repeatedly said maritime routes would not mean the strait itself had reopened.
“changes to maritime routes in the Strait of Hormuz are a technical and legal matter and do not mean that the Strait of Hormuz has been reopened”
NBC News reported Abbas Araghchi said there were “no ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington,” while he said changes to maritime routes “do not mean that the Strait of Hormuz has been reopened.”
The New York Times said Mohammad Bagher Zolqadr told the United States it must lift its naval blockade and sanctions, withdraw U.S. military forces, pay war reparations and release frozen Iranian assets before the strait could reopen.
Reuters said a proposed Iran-Oman arrangement is seen as vital to a wider deal to end the war that began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on February 28, and it described the strait as a major energy export route that carried a fifth of the world’s oil and gas shipments before the war.
The BBC added that the strait has been effectively blockaded since the US and Israel began attacking it in February, and it said talks have focused on a new route that both sides would have responsibility for.
