Plans to open a temporary shipping lane through the Strait of Hormuz were brought before mediator Qatar on Thursday at talks in Iran.
Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian in Tehran. Sheikh Mohammed, who is also Qatar's Foreign Minister, travelled to the Iranian capital in an attempt to revive negotiations between Iran and the US after months of deadlock.
The meeting came two days after Iran and Oman – the two countries bordering the strait – said they were working on a “temporary navigational corridor” for ships.
Qatar, Oman and Pakistan have all encouraged Iran to return to talks as the war reaches the six-month mark on Friday, having begun with US and Israeli strikes on Iran that escalated into an all-out regional conflict.
Countries across the Middle East are trying to contain the fallout. Iraqi Lt Gen Abdul Amir Al Shammari met a Saudi military delegation on Thursday as the two countries try to maintain friendly ties after an attack launched on Saudi Arabia from Iraqi territory in July. Kuwait and Pakistan meanwhile signed a joint defence agreement.
During Thursday's meeting in Tehran, the Iranian and Qatari ministers discussed diplomatic efforts urging de-escalation and a return to dialogue, said Qatar's Foreign Ministry.
The meeting also addressed discussions between Iran and Oman regarding the establishment of a temporary shipping corridor to restore safe navigation in the strait. The Iran-Oman talks also foresee a joint project to clear the channel of mines.
Iran has previously said a new shipping arrangement with Oman does not constitute a reopening of the strait, which Tehran claims will reopen only when the war ends on all fronts and a US blockade on its ports is lifted.
Sheikh Mohammed also “stressed the necessity of respecting the sovereignty of neighbouring countries and freedom of navigation”, added the ministry. Mr Araghchi “expressed his gratitude to the State of Qatar for its continued diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalation and supporting dialogue”.
While military confrontation between Tehran and Washington has largely halted, the US government imposed a sweeping new set of sanctions on Iran this week in an attempt to isolate the country’s economy and break the deadlock.
Before the visit, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said the talks would cover regional security, the resumption of dialogue as well as the “freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the need for it to return to the status quo prior to February 28”.
Qatar is seeking to build on its role as an intermediary between Tehran and Washington and preserve the June 17 ceasefire that halted much of the fighting.
Sheikh Mohammed was due to meet Iranian officials to discuss ways to “de-escalate tensions and create the conditions conducive to dialogue”, Mr Al Ansari said on Wednesday.
The visit reflected Qatar’s “firm position that the diplomatic path is the best means of resolving differences and promoting security and stability in the region”, he wrote in a post on X.
Qatar, a Gulf neighbour of Iran and a US ally, has served as a key back-channel between Tehran and Washington. It played a direct role in securing the June ceasefire.
But Doha's diplomatic efforts face a major obstacle over the Strait of Hormuz, where Tehran has sought to use its control over maritime traffic as leverage in negotiations with Washington.
IRGC demands
On the eve of Sheikh Mohammed’s visit, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it would reopen the strait only if Washington accepted conditions laid out by Tehran.
Iran’s central military command said the waterway was under its control and that no vessel could cross it “without Iran’s permission and management”.
“The Strait of Hormuz belongs to Iran and the country of Oman,” the IRGC said in a statement. “We have been in negotiations with Oman for about a month and we have reached results that are acceptable to both sides.”
The IRGC said agreements had been reached on “the share of each country in the strait … and its revenues”, but accused the US of blocking the process.
“If the United States stops obstructing and returns to the agreement, we can open the Strait of Hormuz within the framework of the agreement reached. Therefore, our conditions must be accepted by the United States,” it said.
“If the United States does not accept our conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened under any circumstances.”
The claim that Iran and Oman had reached an agreement was later qualified by a senior Iranian source, who told Reuters the arrangement had not been finalised and that discussions over its details were continuing.
Qatar wants conditions in the Strait of Hormuz restored to those that existed before US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a war on Iran on February 28, while Tehran ties any reopening to concessions from Washington.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains subdued amid daily attacks on vessels that have been blamed on Iran.
On Wednesday, shipping data showed traffic through the strait rose to 10 commodity vessels from eight the previous day, while movement through the Bab Al Mandeb strait fell to 19 vessels from 24. The figures may exclude vessels whose tracking systems are switched off.
Oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz have fallen to a three-month low, with just five million barrels per day transiting on Monday, Reuters said, citing the latest ship-tracking data. Before the war, the strait carried roughly 20 million barrels per day of crude oil.
Doha played a key role in mediating between the US and Iran to reach the June 17 framework – described as a memorandum of understanding – for negotiations seeking a long-term ceasefire.
