Iran says its emerging shipping arrangement with Oman will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, insisting that broader access to the critical energy route depends entirely on Washington meeting Tehran’s demands.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
Iran is drawing a firm distinction between a new maritime arrangement being negotiated with Oman and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, saying commercial access through the strategic waterway will remain restricted unless the United States meets conditions set by Tehran.
An Iranian source familiar with the negotiations told the semi-official Tasnim news agency Saturday that Tehran and Muscat have settled details for new routes governing vessels entering and leaving the Persian Gulf. The arrangement establishes how shipping could operate if the strait is more broadly reopened but does not itself authorize that reopening.
“Reopening of Strait of Hormuz depends entirely on U.S. implementing Iran’s conditions,” the source said.
Iran has previously tied restoration of broader shipping access to demands that include ending the U.S. blockade, lifting sanctions and halting military operations and threats against Tehran. Iranian officials have made clear that they view control of maritime access as leverage in the continuing conflict with Washington.
Under the Iran-Oman understanding, the geography of vessel movements through the waterway would change substantially.
“Under the understanding, entry route into the Persian Gulf lies entirely within Iranian territorial waters, while part of the exit route from the Persian Gulf also lies within Iranian territorial waters,” the source told Tasnim.
That structure would place inbound commercial traffic entirely inside Iranian territorial waters and route part of outbound traffic through territory controlled by Tehran. Tasnim reported that navigation through the designated route would operate under Iranian protocols.
At the same time, a southern route that the United States has sought to reopen would remain closed.
The Iranian source characterized the arrangement not as the restoration of normal navigation through Hormuz but as the framework Tehran intends to use if Washington ultimately satisfies its requirements.
Iran has communicated seven conditions to the United States through intermediaries, according to Tasnim, and Iranian authorities have said the strait will remain restricted until those conditions are implemented.
The position underscores how far the two sides remain from resolving a confrontation over one of the world’s most consequential maritime passages.
Commercial shipping through Hormuz has remained sharply reduced since fighting began after U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. Before the conflict, roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supplies passed through the strait, making disruptions there capable of affecting energy prices, shipping costs and supply chains far beyond the Middle East.
Iran and Oman have continued working on a shipping framework despite the wider military confrontation.
Oman sits opposite Iran along the narrow waterway and has been involved in months of negotiations intended to establish rules governing vessel traffic. The emerging plan creates designated entry and exit routes rather than simply returning navigation to its prewar structure.
The next diplomatic stage is expected Monday, when Iran is scheduled to participate in a regional meeting in Oman.
Iraq will attend, according to the Iranian source. Gulf Cooperation Council states are expected to be briefed on the results of the Iran-Oman negotiations and the decisions emerging from the regional discussions.
Iran has portrayed the process as an effort to create a new system for managing navigation through Hormuz rather than restoring the previous maritime arrangement unchanged.
Tasnim reported that the countries attending the coming meeting would primarily be informed about route details and transit arrangements already negotiated between Iran and Oman. Tehran views the proposed system as a step toward asserting greater Iranian sovereignty over the strait.
A senior Iranian official separately indicated that Monday’s meeting is not expected to produce a signed agreement governing Hormuz. The gathering is instead expected to provide a forum for discussing the waterway and broader regional issues as negotiations continue.
The unresolved dispute extends beyond where vessels will travel.
Iran has also sought a system allowing it to collect fees from ships transiting the strait, a demand Oman has opposed, according to reporting on the negotiations.
Those unresolved questions come as the strategic importance of Hormuz has become increasingly visible during the war. Gulf producers historically relied on the route to move large quantities of crude oil and natural gas to international markets, while military confrontation has reduced normal commercial activity and increased uncertainty for vessels operating in the region.
For Tehran, the Oman negotiations therefore represent only one part of a larger settlement.
The new maritime routes could establish the technical foundation for future shipping, but Iranian officials are signaling that Washington — not the agreement with Muscat — will determine whether broader access is restored.
As the Iranian source emphasized, the arrangement “in no way signifies the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.”
Instead, Tehran’s position is that if Hormuz reopens, commercial traffic will operate under the newly negotiated framework — and only after the United States fulfills Iran’s conditions.
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