Kenneth Glad
Conflicting statements have added uncertainty around a vital international shipping route. Separate diplomatic efforts could determine whether the wider confrontation moves closer to a settlement.
US President Donald Trump says the Strait of Hormuz is open and operational, while Iran insists it will remain closed until Washington fulfills commitments made under an interim understanding.
Trump said on Truth Social that mines in the strait had been removed or detonated and that no negotiations with Iran were underway or planned. TV 2 reported the comments.
Iranian chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Washington must meet its obligations before the waterway can reopen, according to Reuters. Tehran’s conditions include ending military operations and threats, releasing frozen assets, lifting the blockade and removing oil sanctions, as well as meeting other terms in the understanding.
The opposing statements leave the status of the strait tied to a wider political dispute. Washington is presenting the shipping route as restored to normal operation, while Tehran is treating access as dependent on unresolved commitments contained in the temporary arrangement.
The diplomatic deadline has passed
The dispute comes after the expiration on Monday of a 60-day framework for the United States and Iran to negotiate a peace agreement. Washington had already ruled out an extension, according to TV 2.
Iran later said it would adopt an offensive military posture after efforts to secure a permanent end to the conflict stalled. The announcement came as the temporary negotiating period ended without the broader agreement the two sides had been seeking.
Iran and Oman, which both border the strait, have also spent weeks discussing shipping through the waterway. Those talks have developed alongside the separate dispute between Tehran and Washington and now form another part of the diplomatic process surrounding Hormuz.
Qatar has tied further mediation to those talks. Reuters reported that Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari, who also advises the Qatari prime minister, said efforts between Tehran and Washington would resume once Iran and Oman announce an agreement on passage through Hormuz.
That means further mediation is linked to developments outside the direct US-Iran channel. An agreement between Iran and Oman on maritime passage would provide the point at which Qatar says its wider efforts can resume.
Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, has separately rejected Trump’s portrayal of the waterway and said the US president’s view would be corrected.
Sources: TV 2, Reuters, Truth Social
