Iran says there are no active talks with Washington, after Tehran publicly laid out a long list of conditions it wants satisfied before it will allow the Strait of Hormuz to reopen. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said intermediaries are still trying to restart negotiations, but stressed that technical or legal moves with neighboring Oman do not amount to the strait being reopened.
A senior Iranian security official, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, spelled out Tehran’s terms: the United States must lift its naval blockade, pay reparations for the war, unfreeze Iranian assets, remove sanctions and end hostilities against Iran and its regional partners. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council published the demands via state media, framing them as preconditions for any resumption of traffic through the vital waterway.
Analysts say the demands are tough but largely align with elements of the memorandum of understanding both sides discussed in June. Mehran Haghirian, director of research and programmes at the Bourse & Bazaar Foundation in London, described the council as a consensus body that prefers returning to the earlier MOU framework. He said Iran wants certain assurances or processes in place before it allows any movement in Hormuz.
The U.S. has not publicly accepted the list of conditions. In earlier negotiations, American officials have ruled out immediate payments to Iran, and Washington continues to press Tehran over its enriched uranium stockpile—one of the major sticking points that has complicated diplomacy and kept broader talks stalled.
The impasse has left the Strait of Hormuz largely closed for months, punctuated by occasional brief openings. Thousands of mariners remain unable to move home or keep global oil shipments flowing freely. U.S. Vice President JD Vance said a traffic scheme under consideration would include demining and require Tehran’s assurances it would not fire on vessels transiting the strait.
Meanwhile, Oman — which shares the strait with Iran — has been negotiating with Tehran about how to manage maritime traffic and even possible fees. Muscat said talks are proceeding in a positive and constructive atmosphere, raising cautious hopes that the discussions could help lay groundwork for a reopening. But Iranian officials, including Araghchi, have been careful to distinguish those bilateral technical talks from a full reopening.
Regional tensions remain high. Oman condemned recent attacks on ships attempting to transit the waterway and warned such incidents could affect its negotiations with Iran. The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait also denounced an Iranian missile strike on an Abu Dhabi National Oil Company tanker.
The conflict’s wider regional ripple effects continue. Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen attacked Saudi targets again, reportedly striking the Mocha port and a Saudi Aramco refinery in Jizan; Saudi authorities said the refinery fire was extinguished and there were no injuries. In response to disruptions through the Gulf, Aramco is reportedly exploring rerouting some exports via the Red Sea to avoid the shuttered strait.
Domestically, Iranian state media reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian met with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to discuss the war and the future, though the outlet provided no independent evidence of the meeting. Pezeshkian had earlier said it was very difficult to contact Khamenei, who has not been seen publicly since he was reportedly wounded in U.S. strikes that killed his father.
For now, the situation remains deadlocked: Tehran demands major U.S. concessions and guarantees before any reopening, Washington continues to press Tehran on nuclear and security concerns, and regional negotiations with Oman are viewed as preparatory steps rather than a solution. Observers say the talks with Oman could establish important technical and legal frameworks that would be useful if and when a political agreement between Tehran and Washington becomes possible.