# Iran says the Strait of Hormuz stays closed until Washington changes course, as the UAE accuses it of striking an Abu Dhabi tanker

Brent crude traded below 82 dollars a barrel on Friday, while Oman, acting as mediator, said talks on reopening the waterway are progressing.

- Published: 2026-08-09T06:07:59.701Z
- Canonical: https://polylog.news/2026-08-09/iran-says-the-strait-of-hormuz-stays-closed-until-washington
- Publisher: Polylog (Global desk)
- Section: markets
- Sources: [The Hindu](https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/iran-us-war-live-updates-uae-attacks-strait-of-hormuz-lebanon-infiltration-donald-trump-irgc-netanyahu/article71323971.ece), [The Hindu](https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/uae-says-iran-targeted-tanker-as-oman-cites-progress-in-hormuz-talks/article71322549.ece), [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/9/iran-issues-new-demands-as-pezeshkian-seeks-deal), [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/8/9/08-08-clip-pezeshkian-iran-ir)

Iran's Supreme National Security Council said the Strait of Hormuz [will not reopen until the United States "corrects its behaviour"](https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/iran-us-war-live-updates-uae-attacks-strait-of-hormuz-lebanon-infiltration-donald-trump-irgc-netanyahu/article71323971.ece), a stricter stance after three weeks of Omani mediation in which Iran's position had appeared to soften. A senior Iranian security official [attached broader conditions](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/9/iran-issues-new-demands-as-pezeshkian-seeks-deal) to any reopening, widening the negotiation beyond shipping lanes.

The same day produced both a diplomatic signal and a reported military attack. The foreign ministry of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) condemned what it called a [hostile Iranian attack that struck a tanker belonging to the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) with a missile](https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/uae-says-iran-targeted-tanker-as-oman-cites-progress-in-hormuz-talks/article71322549.ece) while the vessel was transiting the strait. No one was hurt. Iran has not publicly commented on the accusation. Oman, which is brokering the talks, [said the atmosphere remains positive](https://www.aa.com.tr/en/energy/general/oman-says-strait-of-hormuz-talks-progressing-in-positive-atmosphere/58882) and urged all parties to avoid actions that would undermine the progress made.

President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed a different view from the security council, saying he hopes the Omani channel can end the ["neither war nor peace" condition](https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/8/9/08-08-clip-pezeshkian-iran-ir) of relations with Washington. The Israeli business daily Globes reported that the United States military [has allowed 30 ships to sail to Iran on humanitarian grounds](https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001551747#utm_source=RSS) during the naval blockade, a detail that shows both sides are managing the pressure rather than escalating it without limit.

Crude oil prices have moved with each shift in the talks. Brent [traded below 82 dollars a barrel on Friday](https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/brent-crude-oil) as traders weighed the Omani channel against the tanker attack. Roughly a fifth of global oil consumption normally moves through the strait, so the price now carries a political risk premium rather than reflecting supply and demand alone.

## What this means

Every additional week of closure keeps Gulf crude oil unable to move through any route except the strait, and pushes buyers in India, China, Japan and South Korea toward Atlantic Basin and Russian barrels at higher freight and insurance costs. Refiners that rely heavily on Gulf crude lose margin, tanker owners on the remaining open routes gain pricing power, and Gulf producers absorb the fiscal cost of selling less oil at a price that has not risen enough to compensate. Two outcomes would decide the direction: a signed Iran-Oman routing framework, which would quickly reduce the risk premium, or another confirmed strike on a Gulf-flagged vessel, which would restore it.

## What to watch

- Whether Iran and Oman publish an agreed routing framework for inbound and outbound traffic, the step that would allow commercial shipping to resume at scale.
- War-risk insurance premiums for transits through the Gulf, which reflect the private sector's actual assessment of the danger more accurately than official statements do.
- Whether Iran responds to the UAE accusation, since silence from Tehran leaves Gulf states planning for repeat incidents.