UAE says Iran targeted tanker as Oman cites progress in Hormuz talks

REOPENING UNCERTAIN

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that talks with Oman were “approaching the final stages”, but cautioned that “this is not a sign of the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz”.

“The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is subject to other conditions and compensation for the violation of the memorandum of understanding by the United States,” he said, referencing the June deal.

Iranian security chief Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr on Saturday laid out a laundry list of preconditions for reopening the strait, including an end to the “war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq”.

He also demanded the lifting of a parallel US naval blockade of Iran, the end of sanctions, the release of frozen assets, and compensation for wartime damage, according to remarks reported by Tasnim news agency.

The Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the Iranian military, underscored the point, saying Hormuz’s reopening had “nothing to do with the negotiations between Iran and Oman”, adding that the “enemy is forced to accept Iran’s conditions for the opening of the strait”.

Meanwhile, Israel’s public broadcaster reported that US Admiral Brad Cooper – head of US Central Command, which leads Middle East operations – paid quick visits to Gulf allies the UAE and Bahrain, as well as Israel.

Cooper reportedly met with Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir, Kan said, describing the visit as a “multi-front situation assessment”.