Araghchi says the US is trying to force open a new Strait of Hormuz route without Tehran's coordination

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in an interview published by Iranian media on Saturday, 25 July 2026, accused the United States of trying to force open a new route through the Strait of Hormuz and bypass Iranian authorities. He said the move violates the memorandum of understanding the two countries signed in June, because that document gives Tehran the right to set transit routes and mechanisms for the waterway. Araghchi added that the two sides had agreed to open a direct line of communication to resolve such disputes.

The United States rejects that interpretation and has repeatedly said Iran does not control the strait. Araghchi's remarks came alongside signs of easing tension: no US strikes on major Iranian cities were reported overnight into Saturday, 25 July, for the first time in nearly two weeks, and Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour wrote on X that Iran had a peaceful night.

Iranian officials have confirmed that messages are being exchanged between the two sides and that proposals conveyed by mediators are still under review in Tehran. The dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly one fifth of the world's oil passed before the war, feeds directly into global oil prices and into Iran's currency and gold markets.