Iran war diplomacy turns towards reopening Strait of Hormuz

Iran war mediators have placed renewed emphasis on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran agreeing to draw up a list ‌of conditions to restore normal traffic after a Qatari emissary pressed the Iranians to respect freedom of navigation.

With the US having disengaged from talks in favour of an economic pressure campaign, the prime minister of Qatar met senior Iranian leaders in Tehran yesterday (27 August), stressing the importance of returning to the pre-war status of open shipping through an international waterway.

Qatar, a US ally and Gulf neighbour of Iran, and Pakistan helped broker a memorandum of understanding in June that led to a ceasefire and set terms for shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow stretch between Iran and Oman that before the war was the conduit for ⁠20% of the world's oil supply.

After the US and Israel launched the war six months ago, Iran threatened to strike any vessel transiting the strait without its authorisation, driving down traffic and sending up the price of oil, providing Iran with leverage in the bargain.

In his mission to Tehran on Thursday, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on X that he underscored to senior Iranian officials "the importance of respecting freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with international law."

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, later said Iran was preparing a list of conditions for reopening the strait after mediators asked Tehran to set them out.

Speaking through an interpreter in an Al Manar TV interview, Rezaei said Iran had agreed with Oman on a shipping corridor through the strait, with parts of the route in Omani waters and parts in Iranian waters. Ships would use a designated central channel if the US met Iran's conditions, he said.

In the past, Iran's conditions have ‌included an ⁠end to the US blockade on Iranian ports, compensation and removal of sanctions. It remained unclear whether Iran intended to amend those demands in a way that might be acceptable to the Americans.

Tehran and Washington have exchanged little more than bellicose statements in recent weeks, leaving the diplomacy to third parties.

So far, Iran has insisted on returning to the June memorandum of understanding that established a ceasefire within a 60-day window for negotiations. But that deal quickly fell apart over differing interpretations of Iran's authority over shipping arrangements, and Trump declared the MOU was "over" three ⁠weeks after it was signed.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday that Iran and Oman had agreed in principle on administering traffic in the strait and sharing revenues, but a senior Iranian source later said the two countries were still working on the details of an agreement.

Meanwhile, US military commanders say American forces have cleared sea mines from the strait that had been laid months ago by ⁠Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

"Bottom line: today, international shipping lanes are open and momentum is building," Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of the US military's Central Command, said in a video message posted on social media.

US forces have in recent months helped 1,500 commercial vessels carrying nearly 750 million barrels of crude oil to transit the strait, Cooper said.

Trump ⁠has repeatedly said the strait was open, but many vessels have opted against sailing through it because of Iranian threats, and ship tracking services have estimated activity at roughly 5% to 15% of normal volumes.

The UN's International Maritime Organization has reported 70 incidents in the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war that have killed 19 seafarers.