Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday (August 9, 2026) they would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, vital to the world economy, until the United States met Tehran's conditions set out the day before, including compensation for war damages. He denied on Sunday (August 9, 2026) that Iran was negotiating with the United States, saying they were merely "exchanging messages" via intermediaries. Repeated attacksThe comments came as transit through Hormuz has dropped significantly, with Iran targeting ships it accuses of skirting its preferred route through Iranian waters. Oman's foreign ministry on Saturday (August 8) condemned "repeated attacks on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz", without naming Iran. A drone struck U.S. assets at an Egyptian port on the Mediterranean last month, marking the first drone attack on Egyptian territory since the outbreak of the Iran war.