France 24 is reporting that Iran has warned the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed unless the United States ends the war, despite ongoing discussions with Oman regarding a temporary transit corridor. It said Washington previously announced new sanctions aimed at pressuring Iran, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threatening the country with "economic asphyxiation."
During talks in Tehran, foreign ministers from Iran and Oman discussed a "phased framework" for a joint temporary navigational corridor through the Strait of Hormuz and a project to clear the waterway of mines. The two coastal states are working on a plan to regulate transit as outlined in a June U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding.
France 24 said preliminary shipping data showed five commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, significantly below the 10-day average of 15. QatarEnergy has also issued a second tender this week to sell al-Shaheen and Qatar Marine crude via ship-to-ship transfers outside the Strait of Hormuz.
Japan plans to provide support for alternative pipelines in the Middle East to improve energy security following the Iran war, local media reported. Japan, heavily reliant on oil imports through the strait before the conflict, will assist Saudi Arabia and other countries in expanding and building new crude routes that bypass the waterway.
Yesterday, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres condemned an incursion by Israeli forces on a UNRWA training center in an east Jerusalem suburb. U.S. President Donald J Trump stated that all mines within the international waters of the Strait of Hormuz have been removed or detonated, and Iran was notified that any ship placing new mines would be destroyed.