TEHRAN: Iran has set several conditions for restoring transit through the Strait of Hormuz, including compensation for wartime damage, complicating efforts to reach an agreement over reopening the strategic waterway.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said negotiations with Oman on transit and management arrangements for the strait were approaching their final stages, but stressed that reopening Hormuz would depend on additional conditions and compensation for what Tehran described as violations of a June agreement.
Iran has maintained an effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz since the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran in late February. The disruption has sharply reduced maritime traffic through the waterway, which is critical to global energy supplies.
What Conditions Has Iran Set for Reopening Hormuz?
Iranian security chief Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr said Tehran wants an end to what it describes as “war and aggression” against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq.
He also called for the lifting of a parallel US naval blockade, an end to sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian assets and compensation for wartime damage, according to remarks reported by Iranian news agency Tasnim.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards separately said the reopening of the strait was unrelated to negotiations between Iran and Oman, saying the United States and its allies would have to accept Iran’s conditions for reopening the waterway.
The latest demands could complicate efforts by mediators to revive an April ceasefire and return the parties to the terms of a June memorandum.
Why Has Transit Through Hormuz Declined?
Transit through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen sharply as Iran has targeted vessels it accuses of attempting to bypass its preferred route through Iranian waters.
The United Arab Emirates’ Foreign Ministry on Saturday condemned what it described as a “hostile Iranian attack” on an ADNOC tanker while it was transiting the strait. The ministry said the vessel was struck by a missile but reported no casualties.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency later said a vessel was hit by a projectile off Oman in the Strait of Hormuz. A fire broke out but was extinguished, and no casualties were reported. It was unclear whether the incident involved the same vessel cited by the UAE.
ADNOC said Friday that 15 of its vessels had been attacked in Hormuz since the beginning of the war, including three during the previous week.
Oman’s Foreign Ministry also condemned repeated attacks on vessels transiting the strait, although it did not identify Iran as responsible. Muscat said negotiations over navigation arrangements were continuing in a positive and constructive atmosphere and urged all parties to avoid actions that could undermine the talks.
The previous Iran-US agreement envisioned Iran and Oman negotiating future arrangements for the strait with other Gulf states in accordance with applicable international law. International law generally restricts the imposition of tolls on transit through international straits.
Could Egypt Join the Pakistan-Saudi-Turkey Defence Pact?
Separately, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said he expected Egypt to join the joint defence agreement signed by Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in Makkah on August 7.
Fidan described Egypt as a “natural partner” and said he believed Cairo could join the alliance at a later stage. He added that the three existing members already act toward one another as alliance partners.
The comments came after a drone struck US assets at an Egyptian port on the Mediterranean last month, marking the first reported drone attack on Egyptian territory since the outbreak of the Iran war.
Fidan said the defence agreement was intended to contribute to regional stability and was not directed against any specific country. He said the agreement does not identify a common threat in writing.
The possible expansion of the pact to include Egypt would add another major regional state to the emerging defence framework involving Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, as regional governments reassess security arrangements amid continuing instability.