Iranian officials said Saturday they were close to reaching an agreement with Oman over control of the Strait of Hormuz but said any deal would not reopen open the waterway unless the United States met a list of demands, including payment of war damages to Tehran.
“We believe we are very close to a final agreement. However, this does not indicate the reopening of the strait,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchitold reporters at a news conference Saturday.
Araghchi said the negotiations with Oman, a U.S. ally, involved developing a temporary navigation route through the Strait of Hormuz, but said that this would not constitute reopening the strait.
“Reopening the strait is contingent upon other conditions and compensation for the United States’ violation of the Memorandum of Understanding,” he said, referring to a document that leaders signed in June to take the first steps to end the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran.
Iran first blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a choke point for oil and natural gas leaving the Persian Gulf, just days after the start of the war. The June agreement called for it to be “immediately” reopened with no impediments for 60 days and for Iran and Oman to “conduct dialogue … to define the future administration” of the passage.
But while Iran and Oman have held discussions, Tehran has continued to publicly insist that it keep control of the strait and the right to charge tolls for transit through it, while the U.S., and much of the rest of the world, have said Iran should have no unilateral claim on the waterway — a stance that Tehran says is a violation of the agreement.
Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, on Saturday outlined key demands to reopen the strait, saying the U.S. must withdraw its forces from the region, pay compensation, lift sanctions and unfreeze Iran’s assets.
Zolghadr, in a statement carried by Iranian state media, also called for an end to strikes on Iran’s proxies in the region, probably referring to recent U.S. strikes on Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally, has also been engaged in tit-for-tat hostilities with Houthis in Yemen, while Israel has occupied a large portion of southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah enjoys significant support.
A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity under rules set by the Trump administration, told The Washington Post earlier this week that any temporary routes must be without tolls or charges and cannot require approvals or permissions for vessels to pass.
“The Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway, and no party controls the lanes or the ability to transit through them,” the official said.
Before the Iran war began in February, around one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas supplies passed through the Strait of Hormuz. The disruptions have sent global prices of energy and other goods higher.
Ahead of the November midterm elections, polls show growing dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump and Republicans as U.S. consumers grapple with higher costs.
Suzan Haidamous and Susannah George contributed to this report.
The post Iran says deal with Oman is close — but its demands leave Hormuz opening uncertain appeared first on Washington Post.
