Baghaei: Strait of Hormuz remains closed; talks with Oman continue bilaterally with no US role

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said at a press briefing on Monday, July 27, 2026, that the Strait of Hormuz "remains closed," and that talks with Oman on managing the waterway are continuing. He described those talks as "positive" and stressed that the United States plays no part in them: "These talks have no connection with the United States. They are a bilateral matter between Iran and Oman, and they are continuing."

At the same briefing, Baghaei said the United States had been "stuck in a quagmire" for five months, and that Tehran would not allow the American side "to determine the time of war and peace," adding, "we will defend ourselves for as long as necessary." He also said a number of Persian Gulf countries had taken part in the US war on Iran, without giving further details.

The status of the Strait of Hormuz bears directly on energy markets and Iran's exchange rate. In Monday, July 27 trading, Brent crude fell more than 7 percent to about $90 a barrel, a drop traders attributed to the halt in strikes between the United States and Iran over the weekend.