Key Highlights

  • Iran's top security official said the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen unless the US ends its war against Iran, withdraws forces, pays compensation, and lifts sanctions
  • Iranian diplomats say they are in the final stages of a provisional arrangement with Oman to manage shipping through the strait, separate from a full reopening
  • The UAE said an Iranian missile targeted one of its tankers in the strait, the fourth such assault on its vessels in a week
  • Any agreement on the strait must be approved by Iran's security council and the country's supreme leader

Iran's Security Council Hardens Stance on Hormuz Reopening

Iran's top security official warned that Tehran would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz unless the US “rectifies its behaviour,” calling on Washington to end its war against the country and lift its blockade of Iranian ports. The secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council said the US should also withdraw its forces, pay compensation for war damage, and lift sanctions.

The comments signaled a hardening of language after Iranian diplomats said they were in the final stages of a provisional arrangement with Oman on shipping through the strait. Any deal must be approved by the security council and Iran's supreme leader. A Revolutionary Guards spokesman separately said reopening Hormuz remains contingent on the US accepting Iran's conditions, calling the strait a component of Iran's strategic power, not simply an economic waterway.

Oman Talks Continue Despite Hardline Rhetoric

Iran's president, a reformist who chairs the security council, has advocated for the Oman arrangement, saying the country cannot fight forever and conditions for an agreement are more favorable now. Iran's foreign minister said Tehran and Muscat remain very close to an agreement, though a full reopening remains tied to other conditions, including US compensation for violations of a June memorandum of understanding.

That memorandum, meant to extend a ceasefire and gradually restore toll-free shipping, collapsed after Iran targeted ships transiting a channel along Oman's coast that Tehran said was unauthorized. The strait, through which about a fifth of the world's oil and gas passed before the war, remains the central point of Leverage between the US and Iran, with President Trump pushing for it to fully reopen ahead of November's midterm elections.

Tanker Attacks Continue Amid Standoff

In a sign of continuing tensions, the UAE said an Iranian missile targeted one of its tankers in the strait, the fourth such assault on its vessels within a week. A state-owned Abu Dhabi oil company said 15 of its vessels have been targeted since the war began, including three in the past week. One person briefed on the talks said that if Iran and Oman reach a deal, the US would lift its naval blockade and reinstate a Waiver allowing Iran to sell oil.