RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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President Donald Trump speaks to the press after signing an Executive Order in the Oval Office of the White House on March 31, 2026. —Brendan Smialowski—Getty Images
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday said an agreement with Oman to define new shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz was in its “final stages,” but re-emphasized Tehran’s call for the U.S. to meet certain demands before the trade passage is fully reopened.
“This does not mean that the Strait of Hormuz will be opened,” said Araghchi of the progress regarding a new shipping route, insisting it remains “contingent on the fulfillment of other conditions, which have been conveyed to the American side through intermediaries."
Those conditions were issued Saturday by Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, the outgoing secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. In a statement carried by state media, Zolqadr listed six demands that the U.S. would need to meet before Tehran will allow the free-flow of naval navigation in the Strait.
“Until America corrects its behavior, the Strait of Hormuz will not open,” the notice read.
The conditions were as follows:
Never threaten Iran with any language or insult the sanctities of this nation.
End the war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq forever.
Lift the naval blockade and withdraw its military forces (naval and air) from around Iran.
Pay the damages of the two wars of aggression and imposition on Iran without any reduction or reduction.
Lift the cruel and illegal sanctions against the Iranian nation.
Unconditionally release the frozen and stolen assets of the Iranian people.
Esmail Baghaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, reiterated several of those demands, such as the removal of the U.S. blockade and compensation for Iran, during a press briefing Monday.
“The U.S. government continues to proudly announce that it is besieging Iranian ports and harassing Iranian ships. In this situation, the United States has no moral or legal standing to complain about the Strait of Hormuz not being open. In short, you reap what you sow,” he said , in televised remarks carried by state media.
What is the status of U.S.-Iran talks?
U.S. President Donald Trump did not immediately respond to Iran’s demands, but on Sunday he said Washington is “low-keying it” with Tehran.
“We are only semi-negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money,” he told Axios, arguing that Iran "is in very bad shape" economically because of the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports.
TIME has reached out to the White House for further comment.
Former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, who served under Trump from 2019 to 2020, referred to Iran’s conditions as “frankly ridiculous” during an appearance on ABC News’ This Week .
"It shows that they believe that they have the upper hand, they believe they are winning, and they are emboldened, and that's what we're up against right now after five-and-a-half months of conflict," he said .
The U.S. and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding on June 17, which outlined commitments aimed to ensure the full, toll-free reopening of the Strait as part of the terms for an extended 60-day cease-fire to allow time for technical talks to take place. But the respite after the signing was short-lived, with Washington and Tehran seemingly adopting different interpretations of the language used in the interim agreement.
The tussle over the Strait reignited, with Trump declaring the cease-fire as “over” while at the NATO summit in Turkey on July 8. Days of consecutive tit-for-tat strikes marked a resumption of the war that has stretched on for over five months. When the cease-fire collapsed, the U.S. reimposed its naval blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said that as of Aug. 9, it has redirected 55 commercial vessels, disabled two, and boarded two “to ensure compliance.”
Before Iran’s conditions landed, Vice President J.D. Vance was asked Saturday whether Tehran maintaining a tighter grip over the Strait would be an acceptable status quo. "Our expectation is you're going to see the same amount of oil and gas come out of the Gulf that you saw before the conflict started," Vance said . "That is what the Iranians have told us that they are going to do. That's what the entire Gulf coalition wants to do, as well."
However, Vance acknowledged that control of the Strait remains an unresolved issue.
"We're in the middle of the game, and we're applying a whole host of tools—diplomatic, economic, military tools—to ensure that we get the best outcome for the American people," he said.
According to a report by Kpler, a commodities data and analytics firm, since the resumption of the Iran war, an average of 13 vessels per day are crossing the Strait.
Prior to the Iran war starting on Feb. 28, 138 vessels typically passed through the vital trade waterway during a 24-hour period.
Aside from the disruption to maritime traffic, the conflict has also brought domestic upheaval for Trump.
Lawmakers have criticized the resumption of hostilities, and some Republican Senators have joined Democrats in attempts to limit Trump’s ability to continue the Iran war without congressional authorization.
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