Iran set conditions on Saturday for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, including demands for compensation for war damages, complicating efforts to reopen the crucial maritime passage for the global economy.
Since late February, Tehran has effectively blocked the strait following strikes by the United States and Israel. Iran insists on charging tolls for passage and has attacked ships it claims are bypassing its preferred route.
Ongoing attacks in the strait, once open to free transit before the conflict, caused the collapse of an April ceasefire. Mediators have encouraged both parties to adhere to the terms of a June agreement.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi mentioned that talks with Oman regarding transit and strait management were nearing conclusion but noted that reopening Hormuz depends on additional conditions and compensation for breaches of the June deal.
Security chief Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr outlined demands for the strait’s reopening, including ending hostilities against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq.
He also called for lifting the concurrent US naval blockade of Iran, ending sanctions, releasing frozen assets, and compensating for wartime damages, as reported by Tasnim news agency.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards stated that resuming Hormuz’s standard operations is independent of Iran-Oman negotiations, asserting that opponents must accept Iran’s terms to reopen the passage.
These comments coincided with a significant drop in transit through Hormuz, with Iran targeting ships it accuses of circumventing its preferred Iranian waterway route.
The UAE’s foreign ministry condemned a “hostile Iranian attack” on a tanker from ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company), struck by a missile while passing through Hormuz, without resulting in casualties.
Later on Saturday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) noted that a ship was hit by a projectile near Oman in the Strait of Hormuz, leading to a fire that was controlled without causing casualties. It was unclear if this incident referred to the same vessel.
On Friday, ADNOC announced that 15 of its vessels had been attacked in Hormuz since the conflict’s outset, including three just this past week.
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Oman’s foreign ministry condemned “repeated attacks on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz” without directly naming Iran, adding that “ongoing negotiations on navigation arrangements in Hormuz are progressing positively and constructively,” urging all to avoid jeopardizing the talks.
The strait’s negotiation arrangements involve discussions with other Gulf nations following applicable international laws, which typically prohibit tolls in such waterways.
Turkey’s foreign minister stated on Saturday he expected Egypt to join a defense pact with Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan aimed at regional stabilization, describing Egypt as a “natural partner.”
“I believe Egypt will join us in this alliance. We already treat each other as if we were alliance members,” said Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in an interview.
Last month, a drone hit US assets at an Egyptian Mediterranean port, marking Egypt’s first drone attack since the Iran conflict began.
Fidan emphasized that the agreement isn’t directed against any specific country.
“There is no written common threat,” he added according to news reports.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry expressed that this pact signifies an attack on one member would be considered an attack on all, aiming to bolster collective deterrence.
