Iran has set preconditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, demanding compensation for damage from the conflict and calling for broader changes to US policy, in a move that could complicate efforts to restart shipping through one of the world’s busiest maritime routes. Tehran has imposed an effective blockade of the strait since the United States and Israel carried out strikes on Iran in late February. Iran has also attacked ships it accuses of trying to avoid its preferred routing and has called for tolls for passage, despite the strait having been free to transit before the war. Preconditions tied to June accordIranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said discussions with Oman on transit and management of the waterway were “approaching the final stages”. However, he said any reopening was “subject to other conditions and compensation for the violation” of a June memorandum. Iran’s security chief, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, set out a detailed list of demands on Saturday. Alongside calls for compensation for wartime damage, he said Iran wanted an end to what he described as “war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq”. According to remarks reported by Tasnim news agency, Zolghadr also demanded the lifting of a parallel US naval blockade of Iran, an end to sanctions, the release of frozen assets, and compensation tied to violations of the June agreement. The comments come after attacks in the strait led to the collapse of an April ceasefire. Since then, mediators have urged both sides to return to the terms of the June memorandum. Iranian Revolutionary Guards said the reopening of Hormuz had “nothing to do with the negotiations between Iran and Oman”. They added that the “enemy is forced to accept Iran’s conditions for the opening of the strait”. Shipping risks and fresh accusationsTransit through Hormuz has dropped significantly. Iran has targeted vessels it accuses of skirting its preferred route through Iranian waters. On Saturday, the United Arab Emirates condemned what it called a “hostile Iranian attack” on a tanker owned by ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) while it was transiting the strait. The UAE said a missile struck the tanker but that there were no casualties. Later, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a ship was hit by a projectile off Oman in the Strait of Hormuz and that a fire broke out but was extinguished with no casualties. UKMTO said it was unclear whether the incident referred to the same vessel. On Friday, ADNOC said that since the war began, 15 of its vessels had been attacked in Hormuz, including three in the previous week alone. Oman’s foreign ministry on Saturday condemned “repeated attacks on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz”, without naming Iran. It said talks on navigation arrangements were continuing in a “positive and constructive atmosphere” and urged against actions that could jeopardise progress. The June framework described future arrangements for the strait as being worked out by Iran and Oman with other Gulf countries, in line with international law. International law generally prohibits tolling in such waterways. Regional security talks widenSeparately, Turkey’s foreign minister said Egypt is expected to join a joint defence agreement between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan aimed at stabilising the region. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that “at the next stage” Egypt would be included in the alliance, describing it as acting “as if we were alliance members”. He also said the agreement does not target a specific country, adding: “There is no common threat that we have put in writing,” according to the news agency. A drone struck US assets at an Egyptian port on the Mediterranean last month, which was described as the first drone attack on Egyptian territory since the outbreak of the Iran war. Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on Friday that under the pact an attack on any member would be treated as an attack on all, adding that it was intended to “strengthen collective deterrence”. Join the discussion? 9 August 2026
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