Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States accepts a series of demands from Tehran, including compensation for damage caused by the ongoing war.
The Guards said on Sunday that Iran would maintain its effective blockade of the strategic waterway, one of the world’s most important routes for oil shipments, until Washington meets all of Tehran’s conditions.
“The strait is now actually a theatre of war for us and not just a waterway,” the Revolutionary Guards said, adding that the closure would continue “until the enemy accepts all our conditions.”
Iran has restricted traffic through the strait since the United States and Israel launched attacks in late February. Tehran has also demanded payment from vessels using the waterway and has targeted ships it accuses of attempting to bypass its preferred route through Iranian waters.
The disruption has sharply reduced maritime traffic through Hormuz and raised concerns over global energy supplies.
Iran lists demands
Iran’s security chief, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, outlined Tehran’s conditions for reopening the strait on Saturday.
According to remarks reported by Tasnim news agency, Iran is demanding an end to what it describes as the war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq.
Other demands include the lifting of the US counterblockade on Iranian ports, the removal of sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian assets and compensation for wartime damage.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said talks with Oman concerning the management and transit arrangements for the strait were nearing completion. However, he stressed that reopening the waterway would depend on additional conditions, including compensation for what he called violations of the June agreement.
Araghchi also rejected reports that Tehran was directly negotiating with Washington, saying Iran and the United States were only exchanging messages through intermediaries.
Ships come under attack
The latest threats came amid renewed attacks on commercial vessels travelling through the Strait of Hormuz.
The United Arab Emirates condemned what it described as a “hostile Iranian attack” on a tanker belonging to Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). The UAE said the vessel was struck by a missile while passing through the strait but that no casualties were reported.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) later reported that a vessel had been struck by a projectile near Oman in the Strait of Hormuz. The resulting fire was extinguished, with no casualties reported. It was not immediately clear whether the incident involved the same ship identified by the UAE.
Oman’s Foreign Ministry condemned what it called repeated attacks on vessels travelling through the strategic waterway but did not directly name Iran.
At the same time, Muscat said negotiations over navigation arrangements in the strait were progressing in a “positive and constructive atmosphere” and urged all parties to avoid actions that could undermine the talks.
A previous Iran-US understanding, intended to provide a basis for negotiations toward a broader settlement, called for Tehran and Muscat to discuss future arrangements for the waterway with other Gulf states and in accordance with international law.
International maritime law generally restricts the imposition of tolls on vessels transiting such international waterways.
Houthis target Saudi facility
The crisis has also spread beyond the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said on Sunday that they had attacked a Saudi oil facility on the kingdom’s Red Sea coast.
The announcement came after Saudi authorities reported that a fire at the facility had been extinguished. The Houthis have previously threatened shipping and energy infrastructure in the region as part of efforts to pressure countries they accuse of supporting their adversaries.
The development raises concerns that instability could affect both the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, two critical maritime corridors for global trade and energy supplies.
Turkey pushes regional defence cooperation
Meanwhile, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Egypt could eventually join a new regional defence arrangement involving Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
Fidan described Egypt as a “natural partner” and said he expected Cairo to become part of the alliance at a later stage.
“I believe that at the next stage Egypt will also be among us in the alliance,” Fidan said, adding that the countries already cooperate as though they were members of an alliance.
The agreement, according to Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, is intended to strengthen collective deterrence and provides that an attack against one member would be treated as an attack against all.
Fidan stressed that the arrangement was not directed against any particular country and said no common threat had been formally identified.
The regional security discussions come after a drone attack on US assets at an Egyptian Mediterranean port last month, reportedly marking the first such attack on Egyptian territory since the outbreak of the Iran war.
With tensions continuing across multiple fronts, the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz remains a major concern for regional stability and global energy markets.
