The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has stated this Saturday that the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz will depend on whether United States fully accepts the conditions of Iran and stops interfering in the regional negotiation process.
“The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz depends on whether the United States fully accepts the conditions of Iran and stops interfering in the regional negotiation process,” declared the spokesperson of the Revolutionary Guard, General Hosein Mohebí, to the Tasnim agency during a visit to the southern province of Hormozgan, located next to the strategic maritime passage.
No details on Tehran's conditions
Mohebí did not specify what the conditions demanded by Iran are, but maintained that the decision on the reopening of Hormuz responds exclusively to the mechanisms and criteria established by the Islamic Republic.
The military spokesperson also wanted to separate this issue from the discussions between Tehran and Muscat about navigation in the area. According to his version, the eventual understanding with Oman does not solely determine the immediate reopening of the strait, which will remain conditioned to the position of the United States.
“As soon as the United States accepts, Hormuz will be reopened”
“At the moment the United States accepts the conditions of Iran, the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened, without a doubt,” added General Mohebí.
The high-ranking military official also emphasized that Hormuz is not just an economic route for Iran, but also an element of geographic and strategic power. This reading explains why Tehran uses control of the maritime passage as a pressure tool amid escalating tensions with Washington and its regional allies.
A key route for global oil
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most important maritime corridors on the planet. Before the war, around 20% of the world's crude oil passed through its waters, making any interruption of navigation a factor of enormous impact for energy markets and international security.
Iran announced in mid-July a new closure of the strait amid cross-attacks with the United States. Washington responded by re-establishing the naval blockade on Iranian ports and vessels, a decision that paralyzed the negotiations opened under the memorandum of understanding for peace signed on June 17.
Negotiations with Oman for a temporary route
The Iranian authorities assure that in recent days they have reached an agreement with Oman on the geographical characteristics of a new navigation route in the Strait of Hormuz. According to Tehran, both parties are in the final phase of drafting a joint statement on that understanding.
According to the Iranian version, the new temporary route will partially run through Iranian and Omani territorial waters, and will allow the transit of commercial vessels under a new management scheme. This model would replace the provisional routes established so far by Tehran and Muscat, although Iran insists that the agreement with Oman does not automatically equate to the total reopening of the strait.
A missile hits a UAE vessel
Tension in Hormuz has increased after the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ADNOC, reported this Saturday that a missile hit one of its vessels while transiting through the strait. The Emirati state company informed that the incident did not cause injuries and that the situation was brought under control.
“ADNOC announced that one of its vessels was attacked with a missile while transiting through the Strait of Hormuz in the early morning of Saturday, August 8. The incident did not cause injuries and the situation was controlled,” the company stated in a statement.
Fifteen vessels attacked since the start of the war
ADNOC also assured that 15 of its vessels have been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war between the United States and Iran on February 28. Three of those attacks are said to have occurred this very week.
According to the Emirati company, these actions have resulted in the death of one crew member and injuries to another 20. The complaint raises the pressure on maritime security in an area where energy interests, global trade routes, U.S. military presence, and Iranian pressure capacity coincide.
Hormuz, epicenter of regional escalation
The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz has become one of the central pieces of the standoff between Iran and the United States. Tehran demands that Washington accept its conditions and step away from regional negotiations, while attacks on vessels increase the fear of an escalation that could affect global energy traffic.
The message from the Revolutionary Guard confirms that Iran wants to keep Hormuz as a bargaining chip. The route may open under a new temporary scheme with Oman, but Tehran makes it clear that full normalization will depend on a larger political decision: that the United States accepts the framework imposed by the Islamic Republic.