- Tehran Agrees to Outline Requirements for Restoring Commercial Traffic as Mediators Press for Freedom of Navigation
DUBAI: Diplomatic efforts to restore normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have intensified, with Iran agreeing to formulate conditions for reopening the strategic waterway after Qatar urged Tehran to respect freedom of navigation.
Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani met senior Iranian officials in Tehran on Thursday, emphasizing the importance of restoring the pre-war status of open international shipping through the strait.
Qatar, a US ally and neighboring Gulf state, along with Pakistan, helped broker a memorandum of understanding in June that contributed to a ceasefire and established arrangements for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Before the conflict, the strategically vital waterway carried around 20% of global oil supplies.
Iran restricted shipping through the strait after the United States and Israel launched military operations six months ago, warning vessels against transiting without authorization. The disruption sharply reduced maritime traffic and contributed to higher oil prices, giving Tehran additional leverage in diplomatic negotiations.
Following his talks in Tehran, Sheikh Mohammed said on X that he had stressed to Iranian officials “the importance of respecting freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with international law.”
Iran to Present Conditions for Reopening
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, later said Tehran was preparing a list of conditions for restoring normal maritime traffic after mediators requested that Iran formally set out its demands.
Rezaei said Iran and Oman had agreed on a proposed shipping corridor through the strait, with sections passing through Omani and Iranian waters. Under the arrangement, commercial vessels would use a designated central channel if the United States agreed to Iran’s conditions.
Iran’s previous demands have included lifting restrictions on Iranian ports, compensation and the removal of US sanctions. It remains unclear whether Tehran will modify those demands to make them acceptable to Washington.
US-Iran Diplomacy Remains Stalled
Direct diplomacy between Tehran and Washington has remained largely frozen in recent weeks, with regional countries increasingly taking on the role of intermediaries.
Iran has continued to call for a return to the June memorandum, which established a ceasefire and provided a 60-day framework for negotiations. However, the arrangement subsequently broke down amid disagreements over Iran’s authority to regulate shipping through the waterway, and US President Donald Trump declared the memorandum “over” several weeks after it was signed.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Wednesday that Tehran and Muscat had reached an initial understanding on managing maritime traffic and sharing revenues. A senior Iranian official, however, later said the two sides were still negotiating the details.
US Says Shipping Lanes Are Open
Meanwhile, US military commanders said American forces had cleared sea mines allegedly placed months earlier by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“Bottom line: today, international shipping lanes are open and momentum is building,” Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, said in a video message.
Cooper said US forces had recently assisted around 1,500 commercial vessels carrying nearly 750 million barrels of crude oil through the strait.
Although Trump has repeatedly said the waterway remains open, many commercial operators have avoided the route because of security concerns and Iranian threats. Maritime tracking services have estimated traffic at only 5% to 15% of normal levels.
The UN’s International Maritime Organization has recorded 70 incidents in the Strait of Hormuz since the beginning of the conflict, resulting in the deaths of 19 seafarers, underscoring the continuing security risks facing international shipping.
BY: The Times Union
