Iran said on Sunday that negotiations with Oman over new shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz had entered their final stages, but stressed that an agreement on the routes would not automatically result in the full reopening of the strategic waterway.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said technical experts from both countries were finalising maps for new maritime corridors to replace previous shipping lanes, describing the discussions with Oman as constructive.
He cautioned, however, that agreeing on the new routes “does not mean the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz”, adding that additional conditions would have to be met before normal commercial navigation could resume. Iran has already conveyed those conditions to intermediaries, he said.
The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy shipping routes, has become a central point of contention in the confrontation between Iran and the United States, amid growing international pressure to restore the uninterrupted flow of global trade.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson Hossein Mohebi said Iran would maintain its position in the strait until all of its conditions had been met, adding that Tehran would continue what he described as its resistance until “final victory”.
At the same time, Araghchi denied that Iran and the United States were engaged in direct negotiations, saying only indirect messages were being exchanged through intermediaries.
“An exchange of messages cannot be considered negotiations,” he said, adding that mediators were attempting to create the conditions necessary for formal talks to resume.
Araghchi said Tehran saw no prospect of returning to negotiations unless Washington ceased what Iran describes as violations of the interim memorandum of understanding signed in June, reversed those actions and addressed the resulting damage.
His remarks came a day after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the current circumstances presented a valuable opportunity to pursue an agreement with the United States and resolve outstanding disputes through dialogue, citing what he described as Iran’s internal unity and resilience.
In Washington, US Vice President J.D. Vance struck a more confrontational tone, saying the United States remained “in the midst of the confrontation” with Iran and was employing diplomatic, economic and military tools to achieve its objectives.
Vance told Fox News that some progress had been made in recent days and that Washington was assessing whether Tehran was prepared to undertake the long-term changes needed to improve bilateral relations.
If Iran was unwilling to do so, he said, the United States would continue applying pressure while working to increase oil and natural gas supplies from the Middle East in an effort to ease global energy prices.
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials, reported that President Donald Trump was preparing to declare victory and could bring the conflict to an end once Iran fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz, even in the absence of a comprehensive agreement on Tehran’s nuclear programme.
The Pentagon has also instructed US defence manufacturers to accelerate the production and delivery of weapons and ammunition as military stockpiles come under increasing strain from the conflict.
Regional tensions remained elevated elsewhere, with Yemen’s Houthi movement claiming it had targeted a Saudi Aramco refinery in Jazan with a drone. Gulf states, meanwhile, continued diplomatic consultations focused on regional security and safeguarding freedom of navigation.
