Iran links Hormuz reopening to US demands as Gulf security strains

Iran tied the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to sweeping US concessions as fresh security incidents unfolded across the region. The standoff underscored how fragile talks, shipping safety and wider political settlements remain across the Middle East.

In Short

• Iran demanded sanctions relief, compensation and US military withdrawal before reopening
• Oman-mediated navigation plan could temporarily restore shipping routes without tolls
• UAE accused Tehran after an ADNOC vessel was struck in transit

Fresh tensions and political moves marked developments across the Middle East on Saturday, with Iran setting new conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the United Arab Emirates accusing Tehran of targeting one of its vessels, Yemen's military striking Houthi positions, and Turkiye moving ahead with a Kurdish peace bill.

The Strait of Hormuz remained at the centre of attention as Iran said the waterway would not reopen until the United States "corrects its behaviour". At the same time, details emerged of a possible temporary Iran-Oman arrangement on navigation through the strait, while Turkiye said a new defence agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan was not aimed at any third country.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council said the strait would not open until the US met a series of demands. In a statement carried by state media and attributed to the council's secretary, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, who is also a Revolutionary Guard commander, Iran said the US must never threaten it again, must permanently end the war with Iran and its armed allies in the region, lift the naval blockade of Iranian ports, withdraw its military from the area, "completely compensate" Iran for war damage, lift sanctions and "unconditionally" release frozen assets. The US had no immediate comment. Under the interim deal signed in June, a timetable for lifting sanctions and a plan on compensation were to be part of a final deal, while negotiations were also to cover frozen assets.

Iran has said it was close to a separate agreement with Oman to manage the strait, which lies between the two countries. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said earlier on Saturday that they were close to an agreement on navigation, but added that reopening the waterway depended on other conditions and blamed the situation on what he called the US violation of the interim deal. Oman, which has been mediating, said talks were continuing "in a positive and constructive atmosphere" and condemned attacks on ships in the strait.

According to two people familiar with the talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly, the temporary Iran-Oman arrangement would reopen the strait with ships entering through a route close to Iran and exiting through one close to Oman. Ships would not pay fees or tolls during the interim period. The agreement is intended to restore an earlier separate US-Iran understanding and restart a 60-day clock for talks on Iran's nuclear programme. During that period, Iran is expected to be able to sell oil. The current 60-day deadline for a final deal is due to end in just over a week. The two people said the proposed deal had the backing of Gulf Cooperation Council members and, if finalised, was expected to be announced jointly by Iran, Oman, the US and the International Maritime Organisation, though they said the terms could still change.

The UAE said a vessel owned by Abu Dhabi's state-owned ADNOC was attacked while passing through the strait, and its Foreign Ministry accused Iran of firing the missile as part of attacks on commercial shipping. ADNOC said there were no casualties in the early Saturday attack. It added that more than a dozen of its vessels had been attacked by missiles and drones while crossing the strait since the US and Israel launched the war on Iran in February, with one crew member killed and 20 others injured. The company did not give details on the location or damage. Later, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said a vessel east of Khasab in Oman had been hit by a projectile that caused a fire which was later put out, and that the vessel and crew were safe. It was not clear if this was the ADNOC vessel.

In Turkiye, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said a defence agreement signed on Friday by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye was not directed at any third country, even though it says an attack on one would be treated as an attack on all three. He told Anadolu Agency that the three countries do not regard any state as an adversary unless it takes hostile action against them, adding, "We don't have anything written down -- nothing we've signed -- that defines a common threat." Asked how the arrangement would work, Fidan said a member would formally seek help and support could range from intelligence-sharing and logistics to the deployment of military units. He said a secretariat would be set up in Saudi Arabia. Fidan also said other countries had shown interest in joining and that he expected Egypt, which he called a "natural partner", to take part "at the next stage".

In Yemen, the military said it had attacked positions held by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in response to the group's recent strikes in central and eastern Yemen. Military spokesperson Colonel Majed al-Nazili said the attacks targeted the rebels' "sites and capabilities" on several front lines, without giving further details. The escalation between the Houthis and Yemen's internationally recognised government, backed by a Saudi-supported coalition, threatens to revive the country's civil war after a 2022 truce.

Also on Saturday, a Turkish draft law linked to peace efforts with Kurdish insurgents cleared its first stage in parliament, with a committee approving the measure ahead of an expected vote in the general assembly next week. Last year, the PKK declared that it would disarm and disband as part of the initiative to end its decades-long conflict with the Turkish state. The draft law sets out procedures for disarmament and for the rehabilitation of some PKK members. These steps would take effect once Turkiye's National Security Council confirms that the group has disbanded and surrendered all its weapons. The conflict, which began in the 1980s, has killed tens of thousands of people, and Turkiye and its Western allies classify the PKK as a terrorist organisation. Taken together, Saturday's developments showed a region dealing at once with conflict, fragile negotiations and political efforts to contain long-running disputes.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends