Iran says US caused Strait of Hormuz dispute as talks continue
Tehran says Washington breached a June understanding over Hormuz routes, while both sides confirm messages are still being exchanged.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Iran has blamed the United States for the Strait of Hormuz dispute, saying Washington tried to establish a new passage through the key waterway without going through Iranian authorities. The accusation matters because the strait has become a central flashpoint in a wider US-Iran confrontation that has included strikes, blockades and attacks on shipping.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Iranian media on Saturday that a June memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran gives Tehran authority to determine how transit through the strait is managed. He said the US should have consulted Iran before seeking any new route and said both sides had agreed to use a direct communication channel to settle such disputes.
Al Jazeera reported that Araghchi’s comments came as both governments signalled that contacts are still under way. Iranian officials confirmed to Al Jazeera that messages are being exchanged with the US, while President Donald Trump said Friday night that Iranian officials were talking to Washington and that he was “willing to listen.”
What is the Strait of Hormuz dispute about?
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula that is vital to regional shipping and energy flows. In this dispute, Iran says vessels must coordinate with its authorities and follow designated routes under the June memorandum, while the US rejects Tehran’s claim that it controls passage through the strait.
Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar, reporting from Tehran, said there were no direct US attacks on major Iranian cities overnight Saturday after nearly two weeks of nightly strikes. Iran’s health ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour wrote on X that Iran had a peaceful night.
Serdar reported that mediators have passed proposals to Tehran and that Iranian officials are reviewing them. He also said there has been little progress so far, citing major differences between the two sides and deep mistrust.
US blockade and shipping tensions continue
The military pressure has not ended. Al Jazeera reported that Iranian forces have attacked ships they accuse of violating Tehran’s arrangements in the strait, while the US military has restored a blockade of Iranian ports.
US Central Command spokesman Tim Hawkins told Al Jazeera on Friday that US forces had disabled a tanker that, according to the command, repeatedly tried to breach the blockade and ignored warnings. The US military said Thursday that it had redirected 12 vessels and disabled another since the blockade resumed on July 14.
Former Austrian defence attache Wolfgang Pusztai told Al Jazeera that Washington is combining diplomacy, economic pressure and military action to achieve its goals, chiefly the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. He described the US approach as alternating between attacks and pauses in an effort to push Iran toward ending the war.
Yemen conflict adds pressure on Red Sea routes
The conflict has also reached another major shipping route. Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen have disrupted traffic near the Bab al-Mandeb strait, according to Al Jazeera.
The Saudi-led Coalition Joint Forces Command said Friday it struck targets in Houthi-held Hodeidah, describing them as linked to threats against commercial shipping in the Red Sea. On Saturday, Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence said sirens sounded several times in Yanbu and Jizan, provinces that include important oil facilities, because of a potential danger that was later lifted.
Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree claimed the group attacked facilities in the area linked to Saudi state oil company Aramco. Saudi civil defence did not provide further details on the warning.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.