Iran says Hormuz transit understanding with Oman hinges on US commitments

Conditional activation

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi said on Saturday that an understanding reached with Oman regarding transit through the Strait of Hormuz will not take effect until the United States fulfills its commitments under the Islamabad ceasefire agreement. Speaking to Tasnim news agency, Gharibabadi emphasized that Tehran is in "no hurry" to reopen the vital waterway, which has served as a critical chokepoint for Gulf oil and gas exports until hostilities began in late February. "This understanding will not automatically enter the implementation stage," he said, noting that any movement on the arrangement depends entirely on Washington meeting its prior obligations.

Sustained defensive posture

Gharibabadi stated that Iran's armed forces maintain "full oversight" of all maritime movements in the region and will continue "defensive measures" to counter perceived threats. "These measures are not new, and if Washington is interested in returning to the path of diplomacy, it must accept responsibility for its past actions," he said, adding that vessels attempting to transit the strait without coordination with Tehran would face consequences. He confirmed that the strait "remains closed" and any passage would require explicit "coordination and authorization of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

Diplomatic impasse

The diplomatic arrangement with Oman follows months of hostilities that began when the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran in late February, prompting retaliatory attacks against American positions in Arab states. Qatari and Pakistani mediators brokered a ceasefire in April and facilitated a memorandum of understanding signed in Islamabad in June, though escalatory strikes in July caused Washington to reimpose a naval blockade on Iranian ports and revoke waivers allowing Tehran to export oil. Iran insists on retaining control of the strait and charging transit fees, a demand the White House has rejected, leaving the two sides at an impasse.