Iran sets US conditions for Hormuz reopening; Oman condemns ship attacks

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US Central Command said its forces had redirected 53 commercial vessels, disabled two and boarded two as part of the US blockade against Iran as of August 8.

The command also said more than 30 vessels had been allowed to pass through the blockade for humanitarian aid.

US Vice President JD Vance said Iran has told Washington it has “no plans” to impose tolls on ships using the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking to Fox News, Vance said some Iranian officials had discussed tolling the waterway, but Tehran had assured the US it would not introduce such charges.

Vance also said Washington expects Gulf oil and gas exports to return to pre-war levels, while stressing that the US would judge Iran by its actions rather than its statements.

Iran’s national security chief Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr has laid out a list of conditions for the US before Tehran will reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Zolghadr, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said the US must lift its naval blockade, withdraw military forces from the region and permanently end the war.

He also demanded compensation for damage caused by the conflict and the release of frozen Iranian assets.

“Until America corrects its behaviour, the Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened,” Zolghadr said, according to Iranian state media.

US Vice President JD Vance said he expects a deal on the Strait of Hormuz to restore oil and gas flows from the Gulf to pre-war levels as Iran and Oman make progress on managing traffic through the key waterway.

Speaking to Fox News, Vance said the US is focused on “maximising the amount of oil and gas” flowing through the strait, which has been effectively closed by Iran since the US and Israel launched the war with Tehran in February.

Iran has said a deal with Oman is “very close”, but warned reopening the waterway depends on further conditions, including compensation from the US.

Vance said Washington is using diplomatic, economic and military pressure while assessing whether Tehran is willing to make long-term changes.

Oman has condemned “repeated attacks on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz”, describing them as violations of international law and the sovereignty of territorial waters.

In a statement shared by the official Oman News Agency, the Foreign Ministry said talks on arrangements for navigation through the strategic waterway were progressing positively. It urged all parties to avoid actions that could threaten the success of the negotiations.

Kuwait strongly condemned the targeting of an Emirati tanker while transiting the Strait of Hormuz; a "blatant" Iranian attack that constitutes a grave violation of international law, including UN Security Council Resolution 2817, and a direct threat to maritime navigation and global energy supplies.

A foreign ministry statement stressed the necessity for an immediate halt to such escalatory acts, reiterating the State of Kuwait's categorical rejection of any attack jeopardising the safety of waterways.

It also reaffirmed its full solidarity with the United Arab Emirates and its support for measures it would take to safeguard its sovereignty, safety and interests.

Oman said that negotiations with Iran about the future administration of the Strait of Hormuz were "positive and constructive", but warned against repeated attacks on shipping as Tehran pressed its blockade of the vital waterway.

Oman's foreign ministry condemned "repeated attacks on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz", without naming Iran.

It added that "ongoing negotiations regarding navigation arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz are proceeding in a positive and constructive atmosphere", and urged against any actions that might jeopardise the progress.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said reopening the Strait of Hormuz depends on conditions beyond an agreement with Oman, including US compensation for what Tehran alleges were violations of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding.

Araghchi said Iran and Oman are “very close” to agreeing on a new protocol for managing the vital waterway.

In comments posted on his Telegram channel, he said any reopening of the Strait would also depend on other conditions, including compensation from the US over the alleged MoU violations.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it received a report of a vessel being struck about 18 nautical miles (33km) off Oman’s Khasab coast.

Citing a “verified source”, UKMTO said an “unknown projectile” hit the vessel, causing a fire.

The blaze has been extinguished and the vessel, along with all crew members, are reported to be safe, UKMTO added.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has reiterated Tehran's commitment to diplomatic engagement to protect national interests, asserting that the nation will not be forced to surrender.

Pezeshkian delivered the comments in an interview published on his official website on Friday, defending his administration's choice to negotiate with the United States and sign the memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at ending the war.

Stressing Tehran's position on the pact, Pezeshkian asserted that Iran will honour its commitments provided Washington abides by its obligations under the agreement, adding, "Wherever they fail to fulfil their commitment, we have no obligation to continue".

Addressing internal political speculation earlier in the week, Pezeshkian refuted claims of his resignation, declaring he would "continue his work resolutely". The clarification followed reports alleging "divisions" within the Iranian establishment regarding the MoU.

Iran is “very close to an agreement” with Oman on a temporary shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said.

He accused the US of violating a previous memorandum and seeking to establish new routes despite Tehran’s warnings.

Araghchi said Iranian and Omani military and naval officials were negotiating the temporary route, which would later form the basis for a permanent arrangement.

Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned the targeting of an ADNOC-affiliated tanker while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the attack threatens the security and safety of maritime navigation and global energy supplies.

The ministry reaffirmed the Kingdom’s rejection of such attacks, stressing the importance of protecting freedom of navigation and the security of international energy supplies.

Vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained subdued on Friday as Iran and Oman worked to finalise plans for managing the vital waterway, maritime intelligence firm Kpler said, CNN reported.

Only eight vessels crossed the strait on Friday, fewer than the previous day. Confirmed crossings since Monday were also down from the previous week, according to Kpler data.

Questions remain over how future transit will be managed and whether the US and its allies will accept an arrangement involving joint Iranian-Omani control of the waterway.

Analysts expect traffic to remain well below pre-war levels of around 130 to 140 crossings a day, potentially keeping oil prices elevated for longer.

Qatar strongly condemned the Iranian missile attack on a tanker affiliated with ADNOC while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the attack as a “flagrant violation” of international law and freedom of maritime navigation.

The ministry rejected using the Strait of Hormuz as a “bargaining chip” and called for its unconditional reopening, warning that its continued closure threatens regional interests and the global economy.

The UAE has strongly condemned and denounced the Iranian attack targeting an ADNOC-affiliated tanker with a missile while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz. No injuries were reported.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the attack constituted a flagrant violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2817, which affirms freedom of navigation and rejects attacks on commercial shipping or any disruption to international maritime routes.

The ministry stressed that targeting commercial vessels and using the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of pressure or economic coercion amounts to acts of piracy by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and poses a direct threat to regional stability, the security of its peoples and global energy security.

The UAE called on Iran to immediately halt these hostile attacks, fully cease all acts of aggression and reopen the Strait of Hormuz unconditionally to safeguard regional security and ensure the stability of the global economy and international trade.

Brigadier General Hossein Mohebi, spokesperson for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said in a televised interview with Tasnim News Agency on Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen only if the United States fully accepted Iran’s conditions.

He stressed that the issue was separate from ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Oman.

“The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s own mechanisms and conditions and has nothing to do with Iran-Oman negotiations,” Mohebi said.

He described the Strait as “not merely an economic waterway, but a key element of Iran’s geographical and strategic power”, and said its reopening would depend on Washington accepting Tehran’s conditions and ending what he described as interference in regional negotiations.

“Whenever America accepts Iran’s conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will certainly reopen,” he added.

ADNOC can confirm that one of its vessels was targeted by a missile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz in the early hours of Saturday, August 8. The incident resulted in no injuries, and the situation has been brought under control.

The company urges the public to obtain information solely from official sources and to avoid circulating rumors or unverified information.

The Yemeni Armed Forces announced on Saturday that they carried out a broad military operation targeting Houthi positions along multiple frontlines, framing the strikes as a direct response to recent offensive actions by the militia in the Marib and Hadramout governorates.

Speaking in an address carried by state broadcaster Yemen TV, Armed Forces Spokesperson Colonel Majed Al Nuzaili stated that the operation was launched under "the legitimate right of the Yemeni Armed Forces to defend their security and the security of their heroic members, and to protect unarmed civilians from the treacherous and repeated terrorist attacks carried out by the terrorist Houthi militia."

Al Nuzaili noted that recent Houthi attacks had caused casualties among military personnel and civilians, prompting a coordinated counter-offensive across several combat axes.

"Our armed forces have carried out a military operation against the forces and capabilities belonging to the Houthi militia and its terrorist elements on several axes along the lines of contact with our armed forces," Al-Nuzaili said, adding that the action demonstrated "the unity of command and control of our armed forces."

Issuing a stern warning against further military escalation, the spokesperson emphasised that any attack against a single sector would be treated as an assault on all government-aligned units nationwide.

"We emphasise that aggression against any front or axis is considered aggression against all fronts and axes belonging to our armed forces with all their formations and heroic personnel," he stated.

Addressing the public, Al-Nuzaili appealed to Yemeni tribes and citizens to unite behind government forces to restore state institutions, accusing the Houthi militia of "looting its resources and wealth, the imposition of illegal levies, the tearing apart of its economy, and plunging the nation into regional conflicts for external agendas."

In closing, the military spokesperson held the Houthi movement and its backers fully accountable for ongoing hostilities, warning that future attacks would draw firm military retaliation under the direction of the country's political and military leadership, the statement shared by Yemen TV highlighted.

"Any targeting of our units will not go without a response. We will deal with any new aggression with the necessary and decisive military procedures," Al-Nuzaili concluded.

The United States imposed sanctions on two digital asset exchanges and a network of companies it accused of helping Iran launder billions of dollars, evade sanctions and support the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The action targets six entities and one individual across Iran, Georgia, Poland and a Gulf nation. It follows what the State Department described as Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week.

The State Department said Tehran uses digital asset exchanges to maintain access to the international financial system. It said the sanctions were intended to deny Iran resources used to threaten neighbouring countries, support terrorism and advance its nuclear programme.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine has spent recent weeks privately advising senior officials in US President Donald Trump’s administration that Washington should seek an “off-ramp” from the conflict with Iran.

Citing sources familiar with the matter, CNN reported that Caine believes further military escalation could backfire and that airpower alone is unlikely to achieve Trump’s stated objectives.

One source, describing Caine’s position, told CNN: “Caine is looking for an off-ramp.”

Nabil Fahmy, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, has condemned an attack by the Houthi group targeting the Najran region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which resulted in a number of civilian wounds.

In a statement issued today, Fahmy affirmed the Arab League's full solidarity with the Kingdom, warning that the continued escalation threatens the security of the region.

Arab Parliament President Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Yamahi has condemned the Houthi attack targeting the Najran region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which resulted in several civilian wounds.

In a statement, Al Yamahi denounced the attack as a violation of international law and an escalation that threatens the security and stability of the region.

He reaffirmed the Arab Parliament's solidarity with Saudi Arabia, calling on the international community to protect civilians, put an end to these attacks, and prevent their recurrence.

US forces redirected 51 commercial vessels, disabled two and boarded two others as part of a blockade of Iranian ports and coastal areas, US Central Command said on Friday.

“A US sailor stands watch in the combat information center aboard USS Mason (DDG 87) as the guided-missile destroyer sails in regional waters supporting the US blockade against Iranian ports and coastal areas. As of Aug.7, CENTCOM forces have redirected 51 commercial vessels, disabled 2, and boarded 2 to ensure compliance,” CENTCOM posted on X.

Turkey said that its new defence agreement with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia did not contradict its commitments to the NATO alliance.

"The agreement is not in contradiction with the commitments of Turkey's existing international alliances, including those at the heart of NATO," the government's anti-disinformation service said in a post on X.

In fact, it was an additional cooperation mechanism that supported regional security, the statement added.

"Turkey's development of regional partnerships is not an alternative to its NATO membership," it said.

The service said it was responding to "baseless claims and manipulative posts" criticising the new agreement.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran does not seek war or territorial expansion but will not yield to what he described as “coercion”.

Speaking to Iran’s IRIB broadcaster, Pezeshkian said the country’s actions are focused on strengthening its defence capabilities and security.

He repeated Iran’s claims that the US has used military bases in Gulf countries to target Iran, accusing Washington of trying to create divisions between Tehran and its regional neighbours.

Pezeshkian said Iran has resolved many issues with neighbouring states, adding that tensions could ease if pressure and threats against Tehran come to an end.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi praised the country’s armed forces, saying they had demonstrated their “readiness, capability and might” in facing what he described as the world’s most expensive military.

In a post on X, Araghchi said Muslim countries could overcome challenges by standing together and called for greater self-reliance and unity.

“Time to rely only on ourselves and embrace true brotherhood,” he said.

Day 158: Trump says Iran can’t ‘go on much longer’

Day 157: Iran says Oman deal alone won’t reopen Hormuz

Day 156: Iran says new Strait of Hormuz shipping route agreed with Oman

DAY 155: Resolving US-Iran conflict in 'progressive stages'

Day 154: Trump says Iran talks ongoing as IRGC warns of readiness