Iran’s current supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei shown on a flag in Mashhad on July 9, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images) /
Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz under an emerging understanding with Oman, and any broader reopening of the strategic waterway will depend on the United States meeting Tehran’s conditions, an Iranian source told the semi-official Tasnim news agency Saturday.
Iran and Oman have instead agreed on details of new routes for ships entering and leaving the Persian Gulf, according to the source.
“Under the understanding, entry route into the Persian Gulf lies entirely within Iranian territorial waters, while part of the exit route from the Persian Gulf also lies within Iranian territorial waters,” the source told Tasnim, according to Reuters.
The source said a southern route would remain closed despite U.S. demands that it be reopened.
“Reopening of Strait of Hormuz depends entirely on U.S. implementing Iran’s conditions,” the source said.
The comments underscore the continuing divide over the waterway even as Iran and Oman work toward an arrangement for commercial shipping.
Iranian officials have said reopening the strait is contingent on the United States meeting Tehran’s demands, which include ending the U.S. blockade and sanctions and halting military operations and threats against Iran.
Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has remained low since Iran effectively shut down the waterway after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28.
Before the war, the strait was one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints, carrying a major share of global oil and natural gas shipments from Persian Gulf producers.
Iran has pushed for a new system governing traffic through the waterway.
Under the proposed arrangement, vessels entering the Persian Gulf would travel entirely through Iranian territorial waters, while departing ships would use a route that passes partly through Iranian waters.
The latest Iran-Oman negotiations will be discussed at a regional meeting scheduled for Monday in Oman.
Iraq will attend the meeting, the Iranian source told Tasnim.
Gulf Cooperation Council countries will be briefed on the outcome of the Iran-Oman negotiations and decisions made at Monday’s meeting, according to the source.
Iran has portrayed the talks as part of an effort to establish a new framework for managing shipping through the strait amid the continuing conflict.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.