Iran and Oman are nearing an agreement on a new shipping arrangement through the Strait of Hormuz, but Tehran has warned that a deal with Muscat alone will not reopen the strategic waterway to normal commercial traffic. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that the two sides were “very close” to a deal, while Oman’s foreign ministry described the talks as “positive and constructive”. Both governments indicated that discussions were progressing, though no timeline for finalisation was given.

Iranian officials have repeatedly linked a full reopening to conditions set for the United States. Araghchi said the strait’s reopening remained “subject to other conditions”, including compensation from Washington for what Tehran describes as violations of a June memorandum of understanding that quickly collapsed. Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told the semi-official Tasnim news agency that the US must “correct its behaviour” and meet six demands: a halt to threats against Iran, removal of the naval blockade of Iranian ports, release of frozen Iranian assets, an end to military action against Iran and its regional allies, a withdrawal of US forces from the region, and compensation for war damage. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards separately stressed that the strait would reopen only when the United States accepts Tehran’s conditions, not simply as a result of the Oman negotiations.

Viewed from Washington, the diplomatic picture is more cautious. President Donald Trump said earlier in the week that a deal “could be soon”, but Vice-President JD Vance told Fox News on Saturday that “we’re really in the middle of the game” and that work remained. Vance said the US was applying “diplomatic, economic [and] military tools” and expected the “same amount of oil” to emerge from the Gulf as before the US military operation began on 28 February. He also downplayed reports that Iran sought to impose transit fees of 5–7 per cent on cargoes, saying the Iranians had told Washington they had “no plans to toll the Strait of Hormuz”. Oman, for its part, warned that attacks on shipping could hamper the negotiations.

That warning came as the United Arab Emirates said an Adnoc-affiliated tanker was hit by an Iranian missile while transiting the strait on Saturday, causing no casualties. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported a vessel struck by “an unknown projectile” off the coast of Oman, with a fire that was extinguished. The security environment remains fragile: according to maritime intelligence firm Kpler, just eight vessels crossed the strait on Friday, far below the pre-conflict average of 130–140 daily transits. Under the proposed Iran-Oman arrangement, ships would initially use a temporary route while the two countries work towards a new Traffic Separation Scheme, but shipping companies are expected to wait for greater clarity on security and rules before returning in significant numbers.

No date has been set for concluding the Iran-Oman deal, and Tehran has made clear that even a signed agreement would not automatically restore normal traffic. The dossier remains tied to a broader US-Iran settlement, with Oman acting as the key intermediary. The next concrete steps are expected to involve technical discussions on the temporary route and the permanent traffic separation scheme, while the wider diplomatic track continues without a fixed timetable.