US, Iran Hormuz Claims Differ as Pakistan Quietly Pushes Diplomatic Solution

ISLAMABAD, Aug. 28, 2026: The United States has claimed that internationally recognised shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz have been cleared of Iranian sea mines and are open. Iran, however, disputes the wider claim that the strategic waterway has been reopened, saying Tehran is preparing conditions for the resumption of navigation.

The competing claims come as diplomatic efforts continue to restore navigation through the Strait. Pakistan’s Foreign Office says the Aug. 24 visit to Tehran by Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir included renewed efforts to reopen the waterway.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) claims that its forces have cleared Iranian sea mines from the internationally recognised shipping lanes. CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said U.S. Navy divers, Navy SEALs and air assets were involved in the operation. He said U.S. forces had assisted nearly 1,500 commercial vessels carrying close to 750 million barrels of crude oil through the Strait.

Iran has taken a different position on the wider reopening. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on Aug. 28 that Tehran was preparing conditions for reopening the Strait. Iran has also been discussing with Oman a temporary shipping corridor through Iranian and Omani waters.

The claims address different aspects of the reopening, but normal commercial navigation has yet to return. CENTCOM is describing the physical clearance of recognised shipping lanes, while Iran is discussing the political and security conditions for a broader resumption of maritime traffic.

Shipping data underline the gap between the reported clearance of the lanes and the return of commercial traffic. Seven commodity vessels transited the Strait on Thursday, down from 17 the previous day and below a 10-day average of 15, according to preliminary data from ship-tracking firm Kpler. The figures can change because some vessels switch off their transponders during voyages.

Chatham House has estimated that around 125 ships a day passed through the Strait before the war. It has also warned that restoring traffic to pre-war levels will require the reopening of the main central channel rather than reliance on narrower routes around the edges of the Strait.

Oil markets have meanwhile responded to expectations that diplomatic progress could eventually improve energy flows. Brent crude was heading for a weekly decline on Aug. 28, while flows through Hormuz remained below normal, Reuters reported.

Pakistan’s Tehran Mission and the Hormuz Question

The Foreign Office says Field Marshal Asim Munir travelled to Tehran on Aug. 24 as part of Pakistan’s continuing diplomatic efforts to facilitate an end to the U.S.-Iran conflict and renewed efforts towards reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The ministry said discussions focused on regional de-escalation, breaking the military stalemate and exploring a negotiated settlement.

The Foreign Office made the connection with Hormuz explicit three days later during its weekly briefing on Aug. 27. Asked about the Strait, the spokesperson said renewed efforts towards opening Hormuz had taken place during Field Marshal Asim Munir’s visit to Tehran. The spokesperson said Pakistan remained positive that momentum could be generated towards reopening the waterway because the disruption was affecting supply chains, particularly energy supply chains.

The Foreign Office also stressed that the final decisions rested with Tehran and Washington, while interlocutors, mediators and facilitators could continue their diplomatic efforts. Pakistan is therefore presenting its role as mediation and facilitation rather than as authority over the Strait.

An analysis by the Al Jazeera Centre for Studies has also described Pakistan as a key mediator between Washington and Tehran, while stressing that Islamabad’s leverage remains limited and that its role is primarily that of a facilitator.

Islamabad MoU Enters the Reopening Debate

Pakistan’s diplomatic effort is also linked to an earlier mechanism dealing specifically with commercial navigation through Hormuz. A June 22 joint statement by Pakistan and Qatar, issued after the first high-level committee meeting under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, said the parties had established a communication line under paragraph 5 of the MoU. Its purpose was to avoid incidents and miscommunication and facilitate the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.

That provision has now figured in Oman’s discussions with Iran over the reopening of the waterway. In a joint statement issued after consultations between Oman and Iran on Aug. 25, Oman said the two countries were working on a phased framework for the resumption of safe navigation. The proposed framework includes a temporary navigational corridor and a joint project to clear mines from the Strait.

Oman and Qatar Join the Reopening Effort

Oman also said technical negotiations would continue on a permanent navigational corridor, future management of the Strait, information-sharing, traffic management and navigational and security services. Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi said future management of the Strait and a permanent solution would follow Article 5 of the Islamabad Memorandum.

Qatar has pursued a parallel diplomatic track with Tehran. Its discussions have included an interim framework for shipping through the Strait, including a proposed temporary corridor and arrangements related to mine clearance.

The developments place Pakistan’s Aug. 24 Tehran mission within a wider diplomatic effort involving several regional states. But Pakistan’s Foreign Office has specifically linked Field Marshal Asim Munir’s visit to renewed efforts to reopen Hormuz, while the Islamabad MoU already contains a mechanism dealing with the safe passage of commercial vessels.

The issue has direct economic importance for Pakistan. The Center for Strategic and International Studies describes the Strait as a critical energy chokepoint and has documented how commercial shipping has increasingly been subject to Iranian conditions, including voyage notifications, designated intermediaries and specific routes.

The Al Jazeera Centre for Studies has highlighted Pakistan’s vulnerability to disruptions in Gulf energy supplies, noting that the country sources nearly 90 percent of its crude oil from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, while importing almost all of its LNG from Qatar.

The Aug. 24 Tehran visit has therefore acquired new relevance as Washington and Tehran continue to differ over the conditions for reopening the Strait. Pakistan’s Foreign Office has confirmed that reopening Hormuz was among the issues pursued during the mission, while Oman’s latest statement has linked future arrangements for navigation to Article 5 of the Islamabad Memorandum.

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