Iran Defies Trump: Strait of Hormuz Stays Closed Until US Yields to Demands

Trump Fires Back: "It's Open and Operational"

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump doubled down, denying there is "dialogue or ongoing talks, nor any planned" with the Islamic Republic. On his Truth Social platform, Trump claimed that the strait is "open and in operation" and that "all mines in the waters have been removed or detonated."

The president went further, posting a map depicting Hormuz as "US territory", consistent with his earlier threat to declare the area as such. According to a US source cited by AFP, talks with Iran were suspended on Trump's orders, who instructed his teams not to resume dialogue unless Tehran moves closer to Washington's positions.

Maritime Traffic in Freefall

While diplomacy appears stalled, shipping data paints a dire picture. According to data platform Kpler, confirmed transits through the Strait of Hormuz fell 19.5% last week to 95 passages, with only three vessels managing to cross the waterway on Sunday.

Ships used the route designated by Iran, with no crossings via Omani routes. In parallel, an unidentified projectile damaged the engine room of a vessel off the coast of Oman, according to maritime monitoring agency UKMTO, without specifying whether the affected crew member died or was injured.

Transits through the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a key alternative to Hormuz, increased 6.7% to 254 passages, while so-called "dark transits" (ships turning off their transponders) dropped from 40 to 16.

Oman in the Eye of the Storm

The situation grows more complicated with Oman's mediation. The country, which has coastlines on the strait, seeks an agreement with Iran to manage maritime traffic. Trump threatened to "bomb Oman" if it gets in the way, and his administration has already expressed opposition to parts of the deal, including joint Iranian-Omani management of the exit route and voluntary tolls on ships.

Egypt, meanwhile, suggested that the Iran-Oman agreement could pave the way for Washington and Tehran to return to negotiations for a "comprehensive and permanent deal." Qatar, another mediator, said the agreement "would facilitate" the resumption of talks to end the war.

Additional Front: Houthis Attack Saudi Refinery

In parallel, Yemen's Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, claimed responsibility for a drone attack on an oil refinery operated by Saudi Aramco in Saudi Arabia—the latest in a series of incidents threatening to reignite the Yemeni civil war and open another Middle East front. There were no immediate reports of damage or comments from Riyadh.

The escalation comes amid maximum alert in the United Arab Emirates, which issued a phone alert this Tuesday over "missile threats" after detecting two ballistic projectiles launched from Iran toward the country.