Iran sets conditions for reopening Strait of Hormuz amid mediation efforts

Iran says it is drawing up conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, after weeks of tension over the strategic waterway. The announcement comes as mediators from Qatar, Oman and Pakistan press for a path back to talks between Tehran and Washington. The strait, one of the world's most important energy chokepoints, has become the focus of a wider dispute linked to sanctions, war damage and maritime access.

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Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said mediators had asked Tehran to set out its terms. He said ending the regional war was among the conditions being discussed. His comments came during a period of intensified diplomacy, with Qatar's prime minister in Tehran on Thursday, following visits by delegations from Pakistan and Oman earlier in the week.

Qatar's foreign ministry said the sides had discussed a temporary corridor through the strait and a joint project to clear mines from it. Rezaei said Iran and Oman had agreed on a corridor running partly through Omani and partly through Iranian waters, with vessels using a middle channel if Washington met Iran's demands. He said the United States would first need to take practical steps to fulfil Iran's conditions before the strait would be opened.

A spokesperson for Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Wednesday that Tehran would not allow reopening unless Washington lifted its blockade of Iranian ports, paid compensation for war damage and removed sanctions. The remarks underline that any reopening remains tied to broader political and security concessions. The dispute matters well beyond the immediate region because the Strait of Hormuz is a critical route for global oil and gas shipments.

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Any restriction on traffic can affect energy markets, shipping insurance and the wider flow of trade. The latest talks also show how maritime access has become linked to the stalled relationship between Iran and the United States, with mediation now being used to test whether limited practical arrangements can be separated from the larger political conflict. According to the account, Tehran effectively closed the strait after the US-Israel bombing campaign began on February 28.

It was reopened briefly under a June memorandum of understanding, under which Iran was to clear mines and let ships pass free of charge for 60 days while Washington lifted the blockade and eased sanctions. Iran later declared it shut again after accusing the United States of violating the agreement, and the US reimposed its blockade in response. The memorandum expired on August 17, although the report says both sides had abandoned it weeks earlier.

What remains unclear is whether the current mediation effort can produce a workable corridor or any broader deal on sanctions and port access. The report says no talks with Iran are scheduled, and a source in the US administration said the blockade would remain in place. The next developments to watch are whether the mediators can narrow the gap between Iran's conditions and Washington's position, and whether any temporary maritime arrangement can be put in place without a wider political breakthrough.

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