Iran offers to reopen Strait of Hormuz if US lifts its blockade and the war ends, officials say

Iran Strait Hormuz deal: Tehran demands US end blockade to reopen oil chokepoint

Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

Iran offered to resume shipping through the Strait of Hormuz if Washington lifts its naval blockade and ceases hostilities, Iranian officials said.

The proposal, delivered through Omani intermediaries, marks Tehran’s first public signal it could reopen the critical waterway that carries 20 percent of global oil supplies.

The strait has sat largely empty since U.S. warships began turning back tankers three weeks ago after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized two American-flagged merchant vessels. Brent crude surged above $110 a barrel on the shutdown, pushing gasoline prices in the United States to an average $4.87 a gallon.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state television late Sunday that “the Islamic Republic is prepared to guarantee safe passage for all commercial shipping once the economic siege stops and the guns fall silent.” He spoke hours after Oman announced it had carried messages between Tehran and Washington following a rare phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Sultan Haitham bin Tariq.

The White House offered no immediate comment, but a Pentagon official who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly said “no lifting of sanctions or blockade measures are on the table while American citizens remain detained.”

Satellite images reviewed by GlobalBeat show more than 30 supertankers idling outside the narrow strait, their transponders dark. Lloyd’s List Intelligence estimates the queue carries roughly 42 million barrels of crude worth $3.8 billion at current prices. Kuwait and Qatar have already cut output by 400,000 barrels a day, citing storage shortages.

Japan, the world’s third-largest oil consumer, released 12 million barrels from strategic stocks on Friday. Trade ministry official Hiroshi Watanabe told reporters in Tokyo that “every day the chokepoint stays shut knocks 0.3 percent off quarterly GDP.”

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, insisted in a letter to the Security Council that the offer was contingent on both an end to the U.S.-led maritime cordon and “termination of all offensive military operations against Iranian territory.” American warplanes struck missile sites near Bandar Abbas on 19 April after what Washington called “provocative launches” toward passing convoys.

The Revolutionary Guards have converted at least three commercial ferries into floating missile platforms inside the strait, according to two Gulf military officers who monitor infrared feeds. One officer, a UAE naval captain, said the barges “lock their radars on anything that moves, then go silent. It’s textbook area-denial.”

Trump spoke for 18 minutes Saturday with Oman’s Sultan, the first disclosed conversation between the leaders since 2021. Oman maintains back-channel ties with both Tehran and Washington and helped broker the 2015 nuclear accord. A summary released by the sultanate said only that “ways to reduce tensions and restore freedom of navigation” were discussed.

Shipping executives are skeptical any quick reopening is possible. “Even if politicians strike a deal, insurers will demand naval escort for months,” said Rolf Habben Jansen, chief executive of German container line Hapag-Lloyd. His company has diverted Asia-Europe sailings around the Cape of Good Hope, adding 11 days and $900,000 in fuel per voyage.

Oil traders say Tehran’s move may aim to shift blame for soaring energy prices onto Washington before the U.S. summer driving season. “They can tell the world ‘we’re ready, it’s America that’s blocking your cheap gas,'” said Sara Vakhshouri, head of consultancy SVB Energy. “That’s smart diplomacy when inflation is eating every government alive.”

The strait, only 33 km wide at its narrowest point, has been the epicenter of previous confrontations. Iran laid naval mines there during the 1980-88 war with Iraq, prompting Operation Earnest Will, when U.S. warships re-flagged and escorted Kuwaiti tankers. In 2019, mines damaged six vessels shortly after Trump imposed maximum-pressure sanctions, though Tehran denied involvement.

Analysts warn resumption could hinge on prisoner releases as much as on sanctions. Iran holds at least five American citizens, including businessman Siamak Namazi, jailed since 2015 on espionage charges Washington calls baseless. “Expect a quiet swap before any tanker moves,” said Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group.

Background

The Strait of Hormuz lies between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Roughly 18.5 million barrels of crude, plus large volumes of liquefied natural gas from Qatar, normally transit the route daily, making it the world’s single most important energy checkpoint.

The maritime stand-off began on 4 April when Revolutionary Guards commandos fast-roped onto the U.S.-flagged tanker Advantage Sweet as it transited in ballast. Washington claimed the ship drifted into Iranian waters after a steering failure; Iran said it collided with a fishing boat then tried to flee. Three days later a second tanker, the Marshall Islands-flagged Niovi, was diverted to Bandar Abbas. The United States announced a “defensive maritime coalition” on 8 April, deploying the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush plus three destroyers to interdict Iranian commercial vessels in international waters.

What’s Next

Omani mediators expect to shuttle a written U.S. response to Tehran within 48 hours, diplomats said. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has offered Brussels as a neutral venue if both sides agree to direct talks, though Iranian officials told her they will negotiate only under Oman’s umbrella or through Swiss intermediaries who represent U.S. interests in Tehran.