Trump halted strikes, and Iran responded with a list of demands
Iran has set a series of dramatic conditions for opening the Strait of Hormuz, including the lifting of sanctions, the withdrawal of American forces, and the payment of compensation. At the same time, the UAE accuses Tehran of attacking ships, and fears of the talks collapsing are growing.
A senior Iranian official presented on Saturday a series of tough and unprecedented demands for opening the Strait of Hormuz, while the UAE accuses Tehran of launching a missile at one of its ships. These developments cast a heavy shadow over the chances of reaching an agreement that would allow the reopening of the strategic shipping route.
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, declared that the US must end the war completely, lift the naval blockade, withdraw its forces, cancel all sanctions, unfreeze Iranian assets, pay war reparations, and stop military activity against Iran's allies in the region. Only then will Tehran agree to open the strait.
The Supreme Council, controlled by radical conservative elements and subordinate to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, is currently reviewing a draft agreement mediated by Oman. The agreement is intended to create new shipping lanes in the strait and open it gradually in exchange for American concessions. The Revolutionary Guards blocked traffic in the strait, through which a fifth of the world's oil supply previously passed, at the very beginning of the war, and have since disrupted traffic there through frequent attacks.
Although Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian hinted that the time for negotiations had arrived, sources involved in the talks claim that Zolqadr's unrealistic demands, along with the continued attacks, prove that the Revolutionary Guards are trying to sabotage the deal. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the Revolutionary Guards spokesperson made it clear that the agreement with Oman would not be implemented without dramatic concessions from the US.
"For us, the Strait of Hormuz is not just an economic waterway, but a key component of our geopolitical and strategic power," the spokesperson reiterated.
Against this backdrop, President Donald Trump canceled a series of American strikes last weekend that were intended to break the blockade, citing progress in the talks. However, Tehran continues to insist on preventing the passage of American warships through the strait and demands oversight authority over incoming traffic — a demand that the US and Gulf states, which depend on the strait for oil and gas exports, reject outright.
Meanwhile, tensions on the ground continue. The UAE's national oil company reported that three of its ships were attacked in the past week. Since the beginning of the war, the company has suffered damage to 15 of its vessels. Despite the damage, the UAE is managing to partially bypass the blockade of the strait by pumping oil through land pipelines to the eastern coast in the Gulf of Oman.
