Iran Halts Six Ships in Strait of Hormuz as Oman Talks on Reopening Waterway Show Progress This Week

Iran's Revolutionary Guard navy stopped six vessels attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz through unapproved routes overnight, even as diplomatic talks between Tehran and Oman over reopening the strategic waterway showed signs of progress this week, according to Iranian state media and regional sources.

Ships turned back with warning shots

Iranian state television reported Monday that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy intercepted six vessels attempting to pass through a route other than the one designated by Iranian authorities. A statement carried by state media described the incident directly: "Last night, six vessels that attempted to transit through a route other than the designated one were stopped by the IRGC Navy with warning shots and turned back." The incident underscores that despite recent signs of de-escalation, Iran continues to actively enforce its own restrictions on shipping lanes through the strait, one of the world's most important corridors for global oil and gas trade.

A second consecutive night without US strikes

The ship interceptions came as the United States paused its military strikes on Iran for a second straight night, according to CBS News, following 13 consecutive nights of American airstrikes against Iranian targets. Iran's military said it had similarly halted retaliatory attacks against U.S. allies in the region in response to the pause, marking one of the more sustained lulls in fighting since the conflict began. Two regional sources told CBS News that talks between Oman and Iran aimed at reopening the strait and the countries' respective territorial waters have made progress, though it remains unclear whether a final agreement is close at hand.

Oil prices ease from recent highs

The apparent de-escalation has had a direct effect on global energy markets. The price of Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell back under $100 a barrel Friday, dropping roughly 4% to around $96 after climbing as high as $101 earlier in the week, its highest level since May. Despite the pullback, oil prices remained up roughly 8% for the week overall, reflecting the market's continued sensitivity to swings in the conflict even as tensions have shown signs of cooling in recent days.

A pattern of escalation and de-escalation

The current lull follows a sharp escalation just days earlier. Last week, President Donald Trump warned that the United States would destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant, including sites near or within Tehran, every time Iran targeted a ship transiting the strait. Iranian officials responded by threatening to strike infrastructure and energy facilities across the region in kind. Iran's Revolutionary Guard also claimed at the time that an oil tanker caught fire following an explosion after attempting to pass through what the Guard described as a mined route south of the strait, though CNN reported it could not independently verify those claims, and the independent maritime monitoring group UKMTO had not registered any confirmed attacks in the Hormuz region over the preceding 24 hours at that point.

US rejects Iran's claim of control over the strait

Amid the exchange of threats, U.S. Central Command publicly disputed Iran's assertion that it holds authority over passage through the waterway. "Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz," CENTCOM said in a statement posted to social media, pushing back directly against an earlier claim from Iran's Revolutionary Guard Navy that international vessels could only use shipping lanes it had approved. The dispute over legal control of the strait has remained a recurring flashpoint throughout the broader conflict, which began February 28 when the United States and Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian military targets, including the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader.

A costly, monthslong crisis

The current standoff adds to what has already become one of the most disruptive maritime crises in recent memory. Since the conflict began, at least 17 merchant ships have been damaged in and around the strait, with seven abandoned by their crews and two captured outright. Twelve seafarers have been killed or gone missing, and a port worker was killed with two others wounded in a related incident in Bahrain. A tugboat has also been sunk during the ongoing disruption. Before the conflict, roughly 25% of the world's seaborne oil trade and about 20% of global liquefied natural gas shipments passed through the strait, underscoring the scale of the economic disruption tied to its continued instability.

Public sentiment reflects growing uncertainty

A CBS News poll conducted amid the ongoing conflict found that most Americans view the situation with Iran as more difficult and drawn-out than the Trump administration had initially anticipated, reflecting broader public unease about how the conflict has evolved since fighting began earlier this year. That sentiment comes even as officials on both sides continue to signal interest in de-escalation through back-channel talks involving Oman, which has served as a key mediator between Washington and Tehran throughout the crisis.

A fragile calm that could shift quickly

Despite the current pause in direct strikes and reported progress in the Oman-mediated talks, Monday's interception of six vessels illustrates how quickly the situation on the water can shift, even during periods of reduced military activity between the U.S. and Iran directly. Iran has continued enforcing its own navigational restrictions within the strait throughout the conflict, a pattern unlikely to change unless a broader agreement on the waterway's status is reached through the ongoing Oman-mediated negotiations.

With talks between Iran and Oman reportedly continuing and the U.S. military pause now in its second night, attention remains focused on whether the current de-escalation can hold long enough to produce a more durable agreement on safe passage through the strait. Given the pattern of repeated escalations and pauses that has defined the crisis since February, shipping companies, energy markets and regional governments are likely to continue watching closely for any sign of a lasting resolution, while remaining prepared for renewed disruption should the fragile calm break down again.