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Iran, Oman continue talks on safe shipping route through Strait of Hormuz: FM spokesperson
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Aug 10, 2026, 1:17 PM
News ID: 86232345
Tehran, IRNA -- Iran and Oman are continuing negotiations on a mechanism for safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, with the two sides yet to finalize a joint statement on the issue, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei says.
Speaking at his weekly press conference on Monday, Baqaei responded to a question about whether Iran and Oman had discussed imposing transit fees on ships using a proposed new route through the strategic waterway, and whether such fees would be shared between the two countries, saying such details were not currently under discussion.
"We are not discussing such details at this stage. The discussions are still continuing," he said, adding that the two sides had already reached an understanding on the navigation route.
"Regarding the joint statement, there are still some technical points that are being discussed, but the negotiations are proceeding very smoothly and constructively," the spokesman said.
Baqaei said the arrangements under discussion would include mechanisms to monitor the safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, as well as cooperation on environmental issues, maritime services and combating crime.
"Obviously, when you provide maritime services, you should also receive compensation for them," he said.
'Hormuz was not closed because of disagreement with Oman'
Asked about the outcome of Iran-Oman talks and Iran's conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Baqaei rejected the notion that the waterway had been closed because of a disagreement between the two countries.
"The Strait of Hormuz was not closed because of a difference of opinion between Iran and Oman!" he said.
He attributed the closure to the US-Israeli military aggression against Iran, the exploitation of the strait, and the use of military bases located along the southern shores of the Persian Gulf to attack Iran.
"Therefore, it is natural that determining the shipping route between Iran and Oman is a bilateral matter between the two countries," Baqaei said.
He acknowledged that the arrangement would have implications for international shipping involving other countries, but stressed that the negotiations themselves were between the two coastal states and had the specific objective of reaching an agreement on a safe route for ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
Baqaei said reopening the strait would depend on the removal of conditions imposed on Iran and the region as a result of the US-Israeli military aggression.
"Keep in mind that we are still in a state of war," he said, arguing that continued US maritime blockade prevented the Strait of Hormuz from being considered a secure waterway.
He referred to UN General Assembly Resolution 3314, which defines aggression, saying that "a maritime blockade of this kind constitutes an act of aggression" under the resolution.
"As long as the US maritime blockade continues, and as long as other US violations continue, the conditions necessary for us to say that the Strait of Hormuz has become a secure waterway will not exist," the spokesman said.
He said Washington must stop and make amends for its "illegal and destructive actions" before further steps could be discussed.
No final decision on Pezeshkian's trip to New York: Baqaei
Baqaei also addressed whether President Masoud Pezeshkian would travel to New York to attend the upcoming UN General Assembly session. He said no final decision had yet been made and that the issue would be discussed closer to the annual gathering.
"Every year, as you know, the delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran usually participates in the General Assembly session at the level of the president," he said, describing the event as the UN's most important annual gathering.
Iran, he added, intended to use this year's session to present its positions, although the final decision would depend on circumstances and developments. Further information would be provided in the coming weeks.
When you wrestle with pigs, you cannot expect not to get dirty
Asked about his language in a recent response to US President Donald Trump, Baqaei said Iran makes use of its rich literary, cultural and civilizational heritage when confronting its adversaries.
He cited George Bernard Shaw, saying, when you wrestle with pigs, you cannot expect not to get dirty.
Sometimes, getting muddy is part of the wrestling that has been imposed on you, Baqaei added.
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Iran lays out demands to reopen Strait of Hormuz as tensions with U.S. continue
Uncertainty is growing over the future of the Strait of Hormuz as Iran lays out a series of demands for reopening the critical shipping route and says there are currently no negotiations with the United States.
(NBC)- Uncertainty is growing over the future of the Strait of Hormuz as Iran lays out a series of demands for reopening the critical shipping route and says there are currently no negotiations with the United States.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said talks with Washington are not underway, despite President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that efforts to end the war are progressing.
According to Iranian state media, Tehran’s conditions for reopening the Strait include a permanent end to the war and further threats against Iran, an end to the U.S. blockade, the withdrawal of American military forces, the lifting of sanctions and the return of Iranian assets.
Vice President JD Vance said the Trump administration continues to apply diplomatic, economic and military pressure as it works toward an agreement.
Trump told Axios that his administration is “low-keying it” with Iran and described the two countries as only “semi-negotiating,” while emphasizing continued economic pressure on Tehran.
Democrats have criticized the administration’s handling of the conflict. Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy argued the United States has become weaker and that the price of reopening the Strait of Hormuz continues to increase.
The administration rejects that assessment. Vance said there has been some progress in recent days and that officials are working to maximize the amount of oil and gas moving through the Strait.
Meanwhile, a broader effort to secure peace in the Middle East has encountered another obstacle.
Israel has rejected Trump’s Gaza peace plan, which calls for Israeli forces to withdraw as Hamas disarms.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet that Israeli forces will not leave Gaza until Hamas has completely disarmed — a condition Hamas has rejected.
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Iran is issuing a new set of demands to President Donald Trump and American negotiators before it will consider re-opening the vital Strait of Hormuz. The demands require the United States to never threat or insult Iran, withdraw military forces and compensate for damages during the war. NBC’s Keir Simmons reports for Sunday TODAY.Aug. 9, 2026
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Iran issues new demands over Strait of Hormuz
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Iran on Saturday issued a new list of demands to the United States, complicating efforts to reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz. NBC News’ Keir Simmons reports from Doha.Aug. 8, 2026
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Hormuz talks positive, Oman says, as Iran warns deal would not open strait
- Published
Oman has said positive talks have been taking place with Iran over an agreement to secure a shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran warned that any deal would not see an immediate reopening of the vital waterway.
Both sides suggested on Saturday that discussions were progressing, but a timeline on any deal being finalised remained unclear. Oman's foreign ministry warned against attacks on shipping that could hamper that.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said talks were in their final stages but the reopening of the strait remained "subject to other conditions".
Tehran has effectively blockaded the waterway, through which around a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas usually flows, since the US and Israel began attacking it in February.
Talks in recent days have focused on the possibility of a deal between Iran and Oman on a new route through the strait, which they would both have responsibility for and is hoped would lead to progress in resuming shipping traffic.
But Araghchi said a full reopening of the typically busy maritime route depended on other conditions being met, of which he provided a cursory appraisal.
He said the conditions included Iran receiving compensation from the US for what Tehran described as violations of the deal both sides signed in June to cease fighting and advance talks to end the war.
That deal - called a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) - quickly fell through, as did diplomatic talks, with tit-for-tat attacks resuming just days after it was signed.
Separately, Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, Iran's security chief, told the semi-official news agency Tasnim that the Strait of Hormuz would not reopen until the US "corrects" its behaviour.
He said the US needed to meet six Iranian demands, including a halt to threats against Iran, removal of its naval blockade of Iranian ports and release of Iran's frozen assets.
Another blockade, on Saudi Arabia's ports in the Red Sea, had been imposed by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis since 20 July.
Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump said a deal with Iran "could be soon", but Vice-President JD Vance appeared to be more sceptical on Saturday, telling Fox News that work remained to be done even if progress was being made.
"We're really in the middle of the game here," he said. "This thing is not over."
Vance added that "we're applying a whole host of tools - diplomatic, economic [and] military tools - to ensure that we get the best outcome for the American people".
Additionally, he claimed that the "same amount of oil" will emerge from the Gulf as did before the US military operation began on 28 February, although he offered no details.
"What we're really working through now is how you can actually set up a traffic scheme so that the ships can pass through safely," he added.
One of the main points of disagreement between Tehran and Washington has been Iran's reported threat to impose a fee on vessels wishing to cross the strait.
Reuters - citing an Iranian official - previously reported that Tehran was seeking fees of between 5% and 7% of the price of cargoes from vessels who travel through it.
Vance downplayed those reports, saying: "The Iranians have told us they have no plans to toll the Strait of Hormuz."
Oman's warning against attacks on ships in the strait came as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said on Saturday that Iran had targeted a tanker affiliated with Adnoc, its state-owned oil company, as it passed through.
The UAE's foreign ministry said in a statement that a "hostile Iranian attack" had hit an Adnoc tanker "with a missile". It added that there were no casualties.
Later on Saturday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency also reported a ship being struck by "an unknown projectile" off the coast of Oman, causing "a fire that has been extinguished" but no casualties.
It is unclear whether UKMTO was referring to the same ship as the UAE.
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