Iran lays out conditions to reopen Strait of Hormuz as deal with Oman remains 'out of reach'

Iran on Saturday issued tough demands for reopening the Strait of Hormuz as negotiations resume in the ongoing conflict that has rocked West Asia. Amid the talks, the United Arab Emirates said one of its ships was targeted by an Iranian missile as a deal to open the strait continues to remain out of reach.

Iran’s politburo-like body known as the Supreme National Security Council said the Strait of Hormuz will not open until the United States “corrects its behaviour”. The state broadcaster went on to publish a statement from the council’s secretary, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, who is also a commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The US must never threaten Iran again was one of the conditions laid out in the statement. It also mentioned that the US “must permanently end the war with Iran and its armed allies in the region. The US must lift the naval blockade of Iranian ports and withdraw its military from the area. It also must “completely compensate” Iran for war damage, lift sanctions and “unconditionally” release frozen assets.

Meanwhile, there was no immediate comment from the United States,  which has maintained that there has to be an acceptable deal on the Strait of Hormuz before it can end the blockade on Iranian ports. According to the interim deal signed in June, a schedule to end sanctions and a plan for compensation would be part of the final deal, and negotiations would address frozen assets.

Deal on the horizon

On Saturday, the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said they were close to reaching an agreement on navigation, “specifically the determination of a transit route”. However, he maintained that the waterway reopening is contingent on other conditions. The Iranian diplomat went on to blame the situation on what he called the US violation of the interim deal.

Meanwhile, Oman, which is mediating, has made relatively few comments on the talks. On Saturday, it said in a statement that the discussions were continuing “in a positive and constructive atmosphere”, and condemned attacks on ships on the strait.

Since the start of the war, Iran has imposed an effective blockade of the strait and wants to charge users for passage, repeatedly attacking ships it accuses of attempting to circumvent its preferred route.  While the US opposes any Iranian tolls in the strait, the June deal allows Tehran to hammer out arrangements for the “future administration” of Hormuz in conjunction with fellow coastal state Oman.

The 60-day period to negotiate a final deal will end in just over a week but could be extended. Iran has maintained that it was close to reaching a separate deal with Oman to manage the strait, which runs between the two countries. It is pertinent to note that the strait has been crucial to global supplies of oil and natural gas and had been considered an international waterway before the war. Ship transits remain low.