Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told state television that Oman’s plan, which would have divided traffic 50-50, was unacceptable. Instead, Tehran proposed a temporary arrangement allowing vessels to pass only through Iranian territorial waters. “Iran’s policy is for the strait never to return to its prewar situation,” Gharibabadi said, according to Euro News. In Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthis face accusations of imposing fees on Red Sea shipping, echoing Iran’s grip on Hormuz. As one analyst put it, “The proxy war is the continuation of the direct war by other means.”