Iran's Foreign Minister Araghchi visits Oman for talks on reopening the Strait of Hormuz as the US-Iran ceasefire collapses

Summary

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi led a delegation to Muscat on July 11 to hold talks with Oman on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, even as US President Donald Trump had declared the June memorandum of understanding "over" and fighting between US and Iranian forces continued. Iran-aligned media announced the trip as Hormuz-specific, and a separate US diplomatic source said Washington wants Iran to publicly state the strait is open and to stop attacking commercial vessels as conditions for any renewed agreement.

Araghchi's talks were not only with Oman but also involved Gulf leaders, according to US reporting. Analysts covering the situation told Al Jazeera the door to diplomacy remained open despite the exchange of attacks.

Why it matters

Oman has served as the primary back-channel between the US and Iran throughout the June ceasefire and its aftermath. Araghchi visiting Muscat while fighting continues suggests Iran is maintaining the diplomatic track in parallel with military operations, rather than choosing between them. The US conditions, demanding Iran publicly affirm an open Hormuz and stop commercial shipping attacks, make any agreement harder to reach quickly, since those steps would require Iran to scale back its primary leverage over oil markets.

What to watch

• Whether the Araghchi-Oman talks produce a written agreement or a private understanding on Hormuz traffic
• How Oman's own diplomatic position changes now that Iranian drones have struck Omani territory on July 12, the day after this visit
• Whether the US conditions (public Hormuz statement, stop commercial attacks) are met, narrowed, or abandoned in back-channel negotiation