Iran Sets Conditions for Reopening Strait of Hormuz, Demands US Meet Its Terms

Iran Sets Conditions for Reopening Strait of Hormuz, Demands US Compensation

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States meets Tehran’s conditions, including compensation for damage caused during the war.

The strategically important waterway has faced an effective blockade since the United States and Israel launched attacks in late February. Tehran has also sought to impose tolls on vessels using the strait and has targeted ships it accuses of avoiding its preferred transit route.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said discussions with Oman over the future management and transit arrangements of the strait were nearing their final stage. However, he stressed that reopening Hormuz would depend on additional conditions, including compensation for what Tehran described as violations of the June agreement.

Araghchi also rejected reports that Iran was directly negotiating with Washington, saying the two sides were only exchanging messages through intermediaries.

Iran Lists Demands for Reopening Hormuz

Iran’s security chief Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr outlined several conditions for reopening the waterway. These include an end to what Tehran calls the war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq.

Tehran has also demanded the lifting of US restrictions on Iranian ports, an end to sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian assets and compensation for wartime damage.

The Revolutionary Guards said the closure would continue until the United States accepted all of Iran’s conditions, describing the strait as a “theater of war” rather than simply a waterway.

Fresh Attacks Raise Shipping Concerns

The latest statements came as commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen sharply amid repeated attacks on vessels.

The UAE Foreign Ministry condemned what it described as an Iranian missile attack on an ADNOC tanker transiting the strait. The incident reportedly caused no casualties.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations later said a vessel was struck by a projectile off Oman in the Strait of Hormuz. A fire broke out but was extinguished, with no casualties reported. It was not immediately clear whether the incident involved the same vessel.

Oman also condemned repeated attacks on ships using the waterway while saying negotiations over navigation arrangements were continuing in a positive and constructive atmosphere.

The earlier Iran-US understanding had envisaged Iran and Oman discussing future arrangements for the strait with other Gulf states and in accordance with international law.

Regional Security Alliance Expands

Separately, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said he expected Egypt to eventually join a defence arrangement involving Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

Fidan described Egypt as a natural partner and said the three countries already cooperate as though they were members of an alliance. He stressed that the agreement was not directed against any particular country.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the agreement was designed to strengthen collective deterrence and would treat an attack on one member as an attack on all.

The developments come as tensions across the region remain high, with disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz adding further pressure to global shipping and energy markets.