Iran has stipulated a series of preconditions for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, including demands for compensation for war damages, significantly complicating potential negotiations to restore unimpeded passage through the vital global waterway.
Tehran effectively imposed a blockade on the strait following military actions by the United States and Israel against Iran in late February. Iran has also sought to impose tolls for passage, targeting vessels it accuses of attempting to use routes other than its preferred one. These continued attacks in the strait, which had been open to transit prior to the conflict, led to the collapse of a ceasefire agreement reached in April.
Mediators have since urged both parties to adhere to the terms of a memorandum agreed upon in June. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi indicated that discussions with Oman regarding transit and management of the strait were nearing finalization. However, he emphasized that the reopening of Hormuz is contingent upon additional conditions and compensation for alleged violations of the June agreement.
Security chief Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr outlined Iran's demands, which include an end to what it termed "war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq." He also called for the cessation of a parallel U.S. naval blockade of Iran, the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen assets, and compensation for wartime damages, as reported by the Tasnim news agency.
These statements coincide with a notable decrease in transit through Hormuz, as Iran has targeted ships it claims are deviating from its designated route through Iranian territorial waters. The United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned a recent Iranian attack on an ADNOC tanker transiting the strait. Additionally, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported an incident involving a projectile hitting a vessel off the coast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz, causing a fire.
