Iran says Hormuz reopening hinges on US accepting Tehran’s conditions

Iranian officials have stated that Tehran is close to reaching a deal with Oman to reopen the strait to commercial vessels

News Desk

AUG 8, 2026

https://thecradle.co/articles/iran-says-hormuz-reopening-hinges-on-us-accepting-tehrans-conditions

A spokesman for the Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hossein Mohebbi, confirmed on 8 August that the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is subject to the mechanisms and conditions specific to the Islamic Republic and is not related to the ongoing negotiations between Iran and Oman.

Mohebbi said that Hormuz is not just an economically important waterway for Iran but is also one of the geographic and strategic assets that allow Iran to project power in the region.

He added that reopening the strait depends on Washington “fully accepting Tehran's conditions” and abandoning its interference in regional negotiations.

The IRGC spokesman stressed, "Once the United States accepts Iran's conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will certainly be opened."

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also announced on Saturday that Iran and Oman are “very close” to reaching an agreement on establishing a new shipping route through the strait, Tasnim News Agency reported.

Araghchi said the agreement would include certain conditions, including compensation for US violations of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding signed by Washington and Tehran in June.

He added that Tehran and Muscat were discussing a temporary shipping route while technical and legal issues related to establishing a permanent route were being addressed.

In response to the unprovoked US-Israeli war on the country in February, Iran seized control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of global oil and gas exports normally travel.

Iran's closure of the strait triggered a global energy supply shock that drove up gas prices, worsened inflation, and raised alarms about oil reserves worldwide.

On Saturday, Iran targeted a vessel linked to the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) as it attempted to transit Hormuz.

UAE state news agency WAM reported that the vessel was targeted by a missile and that the situation was under control.

ADNOC reported that, since the start of the war, 15 of its vessels have been attacked by missiles and drones while passing through the strait. This week alone, three vessels were targeted, resulting in one crew member's death and injuries to 20 others.

A US official also confirmed that progress has been made in talks between Iran and Oman regarding the Strait of Hormuz.

"We expect a deal soon," a US official told Reuters on Friday, adding that once a deal to restore the free passage of commercial vessels is announced, the US will lift its blockade of Iranian ports.

"As ​always, ⁠US actions will continue to be performance-based and tied to ⁠Iran's ​implementation of ​its commitments," the official said.

Meanwhile, Ali Akbar Velayati, advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, stressed that foreign forces fueling instability must leave the region.

Velayati wrote on X that "the recent developments were achieved through the steadfastness of the armed forces, the resilience of the Iranian people, and the courage of the axis of resistance."

He added that "the defeat of America and the Zionist entity has reinforced the belief that foreign forces, which are the primary factor in insecurity, must leave the region."

Since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran in February, Iranian forces have targeted US bases on the territory of its regional allies, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, causing significant damage as well as casualties to US troops.

Velayati stressed that “the countries of the region are capable, through increasing the level of cooperation and coordination among themselves, of ensuring stability and security.”