Iran sets sweeping terms for normal Hormuz traffic as Oman talks continue

A temporary route plan remains unfinished; passage near Oman continues, but traffic is a fraction of normal.

Iran has attached seven demands to restoring normal passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Oman calls the negotiations positive and constructive, but the temporary navigation plan is not final.

Iran's stated terms for normal traffic

Iran's Supreme National Security Council says the United States must:

never threaten Iran again;
permanently end the war with Iran and its armed allies in the region;
lift the naval blockade of Iranian ports;
withdraw U.S. forces from the area;
fully compensate Iran for war damage;
lift sanctions; and
unconditionally release frozen Iranian assets.

That is Iran's public list, not a term sheet accepted by the United States or Oman. Separately, two people familiar with the talks told AP that the temporary navigation draft would route inbound ships near Iran and outbound ships near Oman without tolls; its terms can still change.

ContextThe United States says the route near Oman remains open. But AP counted 84 transits in the latest week, up from 45 the week before and still far below the more than 700 typical before the crisis. Before the war, roughly one-fifth of traded oil and gas crossed the strait. That is why an unfinished navigation deal can move fuel prices far beyond the region — and why a passable route is not the same as normal, unrestricted passage. The U.S. blockade applies to vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports, not ships using the strait for non-Iranian ports. AP's analysis says a final Oman plan could also formalize Iranian control over part of a waterway long treated as open international passage, setting a precedent beyond the immediate supply shock. CNN separately reports, citing three people familiar with the matter, that Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine privately urged the administration to seek an off-ramp. Caine and the Joint Staff have not confirmed that account publicly.