Iran announced Saturday it won't reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the United States "corrects its behavior," escalating a standoff that's strangled global oil and gas supplies for months while a United Arab Emirates tanker became the latest casualty of attacks on commercial shipping in the strategic waterway.
The Supreme National Security Council's demands — published through its secretary, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, who's also a Revolutionary Guard commander — go far beyond the interim deal signed this year. Iran wants the U.S. to lift its naval blockade, withdraw military forces from the region, "completely compensate" Iran for war damage from the conflict that began in February, lift all sanctions, and unconditionally release frozen assets. It also insists Washington must never threaten Iran again and permanently end hostilities with Iran and its armed allies.
There's been no U.S. comment. The interim deal from June envisioned a 60-day negotiation period — now down to just over a week, though it could be extended — to finalize terms on sanctions relief and compensation. Washington has said it needs an acceptable agreement on the strait before ending the blockade.
Civilian Shipping Under Fire
A vessel owned by Abu Dhabi's state-owned ADNOC oil and gas company was hit by an Iranian missile early Saturday while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, Emirati authorities said. The Foreign Ministry blamed Iran for the attack, part of what it called a pattern of strikes on commercial shipping. ADNOC said there were no casualties this time, but over a dozen of its vessels have been attacked by missiles and drones since February. One crew member has been killed and 20 others wounded in those strikes.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center later reported a vessel east of Khasab, Oman, was struck by a projectile that sparked a fire, now extinguished, with the vessel and crew safe. It wasn't clear if that was the same ADNOC incident.
The strait, which runs between Iran and Oman, was considered an international waterway before the war. Its closure has choked off crucial global energy supplies. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said earlier Saturday that Iran was close to a separate deal with Oman to manage the strait, "specifically the determination of a transit route." He added that reopening depends on other conditions being met. Oman, acting as mediator, said discussions were proceeding "in a positive and constructive atmosphere" and condemned attacks on ships.
Yemen's Civil War Threatens to Reignite
Yemen's military launched attacks Saturday on the country's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, targeting what Col. Majed al-Nazili, a military spokesperson, called the rebels' "sites and capabilities" on multiple front lines. He said the strikes were in response to recent Houthi attacks in central and eastern Yemen but didn't elaborate on specifics.
The escalation threatens to shatter the truce that ended Yemen's civil war four years ago. The conflict pitted the Houthis against Yemen's internationally recognized government and a Saudi-supported coalition. That war killed tens of thousands before the 2022 ceasefire.
Turkey Advances Kurdish Peace Process
In Turkey, a draft law aimed at ending the decades-long conflict with Kurdish insurgents cleared its first parliamentary hurdle Saturday. A committee approved the measure, and it's expected to pass the general assembly next week.
The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, declared one year ago its decision to disarm and disband as part of a peace initiative. The draft legislation defines how the group will disarm and how some PKK members will be rehabilitated. The measures take effect once Turkey's National Security Council confirms the group has disbanded and surrendered all weapons.
The conflict has killed tens of thousands since it began decades ago. Turkey and its Western allies consider the PKK a terrorist organization.
Why This Matters:
The Strait of Hormuz standoff shows how the war that began in February continues to impose costs on civilians far beyond the immediate conflict zone. Commercial shipping crews — most from countries uninvolved in the fighting — face missile and drone attacks just doing their jobs. One ADNOC crew member has already been killed. Global energy supplies remain choked off, driving up costs for consumers worldwide. Meanwhile, Yemen's fragile truce is unraveling, threatening to plunge millions back into a civil war that created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Turkey's Kurdish peace process offers a rare bright spot — a decades-long conflict that's killed tens of thousands may finally be ending through negotiation rather than force. But the broader regional picture shows how easily diplomatic progress can be overshadowed by military escalation, and how the human cost keeps mounting while governments negotiate.