Iran has issued a series of stringent demands for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, complicating ongoing efforts to secure a deal for the strategic waterway. On Saturday, as negotiations remained stalled, the United Arab Emirates reported that one of its vessels had been targeted by an Iranian missile.
The Supreme National Security Council, Iran’s top security body, declared that the strait will remain closed until the United States “corrects its behaviour.” In a statement released by state media, council secretary Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr—a commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps—asserted that the US must cease all threats against Iran, permanently end the regional conflict, lift naval blockades, and withdraw its military presence from the area.
Beyond security guarantees, Tehran is demanding that the US “completely compensate” Iran for war-related damages, remove existing sanctions, and “unconditionally” release frozen assets. While an interim agreement signed in June outlined a framework to address sanctions, compensation, and frozen assets, the current impasse has left these plans in limbo.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi noted on Saturday that while progress has been made on defining a transit route, the reopening of the waterway is contingent on meeting these broader conditions. Araghchi blamed the current stalemate on what he described as American violations of the June interim deal.
Oman, which is serving as a mediator, reported that discussions are continuing in a “positive and constructive atmosphere,” though it also issued a condemnation of the ongoing attacks against shipping in the strait. The 60-day window for finalizing a deal is set to expire in just over a week, though officials suggest an extension remains possible.
The conflict has severely disrupted maritime traffic in a region vital to global oil and gas supplies. Since the US and Israel launched military operations against Iran in February, Adnoc, the Abu Dhabi state-owned energy firm, reports that more than a dozen of its vessels have been struck by drones and missiles. The company stated that these attacks have resulted in one death and 20 injuries among its crews.
In the latest incident, Emirati authorities confirmed that an Adnoc vessel was targeted by an Iranian missile early Saturday. Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre reported that a vessel east of Khasab, Oman, was hit by a projectile, sparking a fire that was subsequently extinguished. The crew and vessel were reported safe, though it remains unclear if this incident is linked to the Adnoc report.
While the June memorandum allows for future joint administration of the strait between Iran and Oman, the US continues to oppose any Iranian-imposed tolls. With ship transits remaining at historic lows, the collapse of an earlier April ceasefire continues to cast a shadow over the prospects for restoring the waterway to its pre-war status as an international transit zone. The report also notes that the 60-day period to negotiate a final deal will end in just over a week but could be extended. The report also notes that it said, one crew member has been killed and 20 others wounded.
