Iranian Gen. Hossein Mohebbi, a spokesperson for Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, claimed Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz will only reopen if the United States accepts Iran’s terms.
“Whenever the American side accepts the conditions of the Islamic Republic of Iran and abandons its interventionist approach, the conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz will certainly be provided,” Mohebbi was quoted as saying by Iran’s state-run Tasnim News Agency.
Mohebbi reportedly added that the Strait of Hormuz is not just an economic passage, it’s a symbol of Iran’s geopolitical power.
He also said the reopening is “completely independent” of ongoing talks between Iran and Oman, according to the Tasnim News Agency.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Saturday that “Negotiations with Oman regarding the legal mechanism and management of the Strait of Hormuz regarding determining the route of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz are underway, and we are very close to an agreement.”
However, Araghchi added in a Telegram post that “the opening of the Strait of Hormuz is subject to other conditions, including compensation for violations of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding by the United States.”
Under the MOU, President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian agreed to end the war, while calling for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened and launching 60 days of nuclear negotiations.
But Iran has continued attacking commercial shipping in the waterway. U.S. Central Command in July also carried out more than a dozen consecutive days of strikes on Iranian military targets as part of a campaign to weaken Iran’s ability to threaten maritime traffic.
Fox News Digital’s Julia Bonavita contributed to this post.
Bahrain demanded the United Nations Security Council step up to “compel Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and cease attacks on commercial shipping to preserve regional and global security” after a ship was targeted in the Strait of Hormuz, the state-run Bahrain News Agency said.
“The Kingdom of Bahrain strongly condemned and denounced the attack on an Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) tanker by a missile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, describing it as a blatant violation of international law, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and UN Security Council Resolution 2817, as well as a grave threat to maritime navigation and global energy supply,” the Bahrain News Agency said.
“The Ministry urged the UN Security Council to uphold its responsibilities and implement decisive measures to protect maritime navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and key international waterways,” a report added.
{{#rendered}}A ship was hit by an "unknown projectile" Saturday while traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Center.
The incident happened 18 nautical miles east of Khasab, Oman.
"A verified source has reported that a vessel was struck by an unknown projectile which caused a fire that has been extinguished. There is no reported environmental impact,” UKMTO said.
“The vessel and crew are reported as safe,” it added.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday that Qatar rejects “using the Strait of Hormuz as a bargaining chip” following an Iranian attack on a ship affiliated with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.
“The State of Qatar strongly condemns the Iranian attack that targeted an Emirati tanker affiliated with ADNOC company with a missile while it was passing through the Strait of Hormuz, and considers it a flagrant violation of the rules of international law and freedom of maritime navigation, and a blatant breach of UN Security Council Resolution 2817,” the ministry said.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs renews the State of Qatar's categorical rejection of using the Strait of Hormuz as a bargaining chip, and its call for reopening it without conditions, and its affirmation that freedom of navigation in this vital passage is a firmly established principle that admits no compromise, and that the continued closure of the strait exposes the vital interests of the region's countries and the global economy to danger,” it added.
The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Saturday that a ship affiliated with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company was targeted by Iran as it traveled through the Strait of Hormuz.
"The United Arab Emirates has strongly condemned and denounced the hostile Iranian attack involving a missile that targeted a carrier affiliated with ADNOC as it transited through the Strait of Hormuz, with no injuries reported,” the ministry said.
“The Ministry emphasized that targeting commercial shipping and using the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of economic coercion or blackmail represents acts of piracy by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, and constitutes a direct threat to the stability of the region, its peoples, and global energy security,” it added.
ADNOC said Friday that 15 of its ships have been attacked by missiles and drones while traveling through the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict with Iran began in late February, according to Reuters.
Three of those ships reportedly were attacked this week, and overall, the attacks have left one crew member dead and 20 injured.
{{#rendered}}Israel and Lebanon have reached an agreement on a shortlist of countries that could send troops to the Middle East to verify the disarmament of the terrorist group Hezbollah under a U.S.-mediated peace framework, a report said.
The list was generated during meetings between both sides at the U.S. embassy in Rome this week, where the latest negotiations were held on how to implement the June 26 deal that ties Israel’s withdrawal of troops from southern Lebanon to the disarmament of Hezbollah, which would be overseen by a third party, according to Reuters.
"We have reached a short list of countries. We decided which parties were impossible for each and set the potential actors," a Lebanese official told Reuters. "The Americans will now decide, and could pick more than one country."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement in late July that “The IDF will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon and will continue to destroy any terror infrastructure in order to prevent any attempt by Hezbollah to rebuild its capabilities.”
Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper warned Friday that a potential arrangement giving Iran and Oman roles in administering traffic through the Strait of Hormuz could be a “very bad outcome” for the United States.
Speaking on Fox News' “America Reports,” Esper said reports indicate Tehran and Muscat are nearing an agreement that could divide passage through the strategic waterway, with a northern route into the Persian Gulf and a southern route along Oman’s coast.
“They may or may not charge a fee, but they would administer and control it in one way, shape, or form, which would be a very bad outcome for us,” Esper said.
Esper noted that President Donald Trump has said he is personally involved in negotiations, while Iranian officials have publicly disputed direct U.S. participation.
“I think what we’re waiting for now is to find out, is there a deal between Oman and Iran, and to what degree did the United States play a role or has a role in it,” Esper said.
Yesterday's Fox News Digital live blog offers additional coverage of the conflict with Iran.
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