• Tehran insists Washington must end war, lift blockade
• Iran, Oman move closer to navigation agreement
• UAE accuses Tehran of missile attack on ADNOC tanker
• Washington weighs exit strategy as regional tensions escalate
Iran yesterday laid down sweeping conditions for the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, demanding an end to the war, withdrawal of United States forces from the region and financial compensation from Washington, even as Tehran and Oman appeared to move closer to an agreement on navigation through the strategic waterway.
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, said normal shipping through the strait would not resume until the United States met Tehran’s conditions, effectively tying the fate of one of the world’s most important energy corridors to the wider conflict.
The development came amid growing diplomatic efforts to reopen the strait, through which a significant proportion of internationally traded oil and liquefied natural gas traditionally passes.
Iran and Oman have given indications that progress is being made towards an arrangement governing navigation through the waterway, but Tehran insisted that any understanding with Muscat would not, by itself, amount to an unconditional reopening of the strait.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also maintained that the reopening of the waterway would depend on Washington “fully accepting” Iran’s conditions rather than merely on the outcome of negotiations with Oman.
Among Tehran’s demands are an end to the war, termination of the naval blockade, withdrawal of American forces from the region, lifting of sanctions, release of frozen Iranian assets and compensation for damage suffered during the conflict.
The demands have significantly raised the stakes in negotiations over the strait, transforming what appeared to be a maritime navigation arrangement into a potentially wider bargaining process over the future of the conflict.
Oman, which has played an important intermediary role, has nevertheless cautioned that continuing attacks on commercial shipping could undermine the progress recorded in negotiations.
Those concerns deepened yesterday after the United Arab Emirates accused Iran of firing a missile at a tanker belonging to the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) as the vessel passed through the Strait of Hormuz.
The UAE condemned the incident, although no casualties were reported.
The attack underscored the fragility of negotiations aimed at restoring normal maritime traffic and heightened concerns about the security of commercial vessels navigating the strategic passage.
The Strait of Hormuz, connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, remains one of the most consequential maritime chokepoints in the global economy. Any prolonged disruption to shipping through the corridor carries implications for international crude oil and gas supplies, freight costs, insurance premiums and global energy prices.
Although the emerging Iran-Oman arrangement could create a pathway towards restoring greater vessel movement, Tehran’s insistence on linking a full reopening to major concessions from Washington has complicated prospects for an immediate return to normal shipping.
The latest developments also came as indications emerged that senior United States military officials were considering ways of preventing further escalation of the war.
Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, has reportedly made it clear in private discussions with senior officials in the Trump administration that Washington needs to find an exit strategy from the conflict, amid concerns that available options for further military escalation could lead to unintended consequences.
The deliberations highlight the dilemma confronting Washington as it seeks to maintain military pressure on Tehran while avoiding a wider regional confrontation that could draw in additional Middle Eastern powers and further destabilise global energy markets.
The geopolitical landscape became more complicated following the signing of a mutual defence agreement by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan in Mecca, under which an attack on any of the three countries would be regarded as an attack on all.
Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, however, sought to dispel suggestions that the agreement was directed against Iran, maintaining that Tehran was not the target of the new security arrangement.
The pact nevertheless represents a significant development in the region’s evolving security architecture at a time when the Iran conflict, attacks on commercial shipping and threats from armed groups have heightened concerns among Gulf states.
Meanwhile, Iranian state media yesterday released an undated video of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, his first such appearance since succeeding his father as Iran’s highest political and religious authority.
No information was provided on when the footage was recorded, leaving unanswered questions surrounding his whereabouts.
Elsewhere in the region, Yemeni forces announced a military operation targeting the Iran-backed Houthi movement, one of the armed groups whose activities have raised fears that the Iran conflict could spill into additional theatres.
The developments have reinforced concerns that the war could reshape security alliances across the Middle East even as diplomatic efforts intensify to contain the conflict.
For global markets, however, immediate attention remains firmly fixed on the Strait of Hormuz.
The combination of Tehran’s demands, continuing attacks on vessels and Washington’s consideration of its military options means that prospects for restoring unrestricted navigation remain uncertain despite progress in the talks involving Iran and Oman.
Iran has effectively made the strait part of its negotiating leverage, insisting that unrestricted passage will return only after Washington addresses Tehran’s broader political, military and economic demands.
The outcome of those negotiations could therefore determine not only the future of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz but also whether the widening conflict moves towards de-escalation or enters another phase of confrontation.