Hormuz talks falter amid escalating attacks on Saudi Arabia

Iran rejects US response to Hormuz proposal as attacks on Gulf shipping and Saudi Arabia escalate.

By World Israel News Staff

Iran has rejected Washington’s response to its conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and resuming negotiations, as attacks on commercial shipping and an escalating conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis threaten to undermine efforts to end the regional war.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Sunday that the United States had accepted some of Tehran’s seven demands but had failed to adequately address others.

“The US has agreed to some of Iran’s seven conditions, but we consider its response INADEQUATE,” Rezaei wrote on X, adding that Iranian diplomacy had changed and there would be no return to the previous relationship between the two countries.

Iran presented the seven conditions during the United Nations General Assembly in September, offering to restore normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if its demands were met. Washington subsequently delivered its response through Qatari intermediaries.

Rezaei said Iran would not reopen the strategic waterway to American vessels or resume negotiations until its conditions were satisfied. The White House did not immediately comment.

The diplomatic stalemate comes amid increasing military activity in the Persian Gulf, where the United States is enforcing a naval blockade of Iranian ports while Tehran continues to restrict shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

On Saturday, a US fighter jet struck a Panama-flagged cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman after its crew allegedly ignored repeated warnings and attempted to breach the American blockade.

US Central Command said the aircraft used a precision munition to strike the stern of the M/V Ocean Molica, also known as the Arika Sun, disabling its propulsion system without injuring the crew.

The military said the vessel had departed an Iranian port and was attempting to transit regional waters when American forces intervened.

According to CENTCOM, US forces have disabled four commercial vessels and turned back 135 ships since Washington resumed its blockade of Iranian ports on July 14.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported Sunday that an oil tanker carrying approximately 750,000 barrels of crude oil had struck a naval mine and caught fire while attempting to travel through an unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian media reported that three tankers had struck mines in the waterway that day. The claims could not be independently verified.

Britain’s Maritime Trade Operations agency separately reported that a tanker had been struck by an unidentified projectile while leaving the strait. The vessel sustained damage, but its crew was reported safe.

According to British maritime security figures, 11 attacks on commercial vessels were recorded during the week ending October 9, including 10 in the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping traffic through the strategic passage remains approximately 75% below prewar levels.

The escalating confrontation has coincided with a series of deadly Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, raising concerns that the conflict could expand further.

On Saturday, a Houthi missile struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, killing at least 12 people and injuring more than 300. Another victim subsequently died of injuries.

The airport was struck again Sunday, when a projectile hit Terminal 4, killing a Pakistani national and injuring 11 others.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for both attacks, while Saudi Arabia condemned the strikes and threatened retaliation.

President Donald Trump said Saturday that Washington was considering joining Saudi military operations against the Houthis, potentially opening another front in the regional conflict.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the airport attacks, saying, “These reprehensible attacks demonstrate a blatant disregard for innocent civilian life. They must stop now.”

The Saudi-led coalition has intensified airstrikes against Houthi positions in Yemen, while forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government have launched ground operations aimed at reversing recent Houthi territorial gains near the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The Houthis have also threatened additional attacks against Saudi airports and energy facilities.

Despite the escalating violence, diplomatic contacts between Tehran and Riyadh have continued. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke Sunday about the fighting, with Araghchi offering to facilitate dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

The broader US-Iran confrontation has meanwhile placed increasing pressure on global energy supplies, prompting Washington to seek alternative sources of fuel.

Trump announced Friday that Russia had agreed to supply more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel to international markets, while his administration temporarily eased restrictions on Russian fuel exports.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the arrangement Sunday, describing Iran as the “biggest loser” of the confrontation and arguing that Tehran’s attempts to disrupt oil shipping and global diesel supplies had failed.

The latest developments follow reports that the Pentagon has been preparing options for renewed large-scale military operations against Iran.

Trump has said he does not intend to launch new attacks against Iran before the November 3 US midterm elections, while describing indirect negotiations with Tehran as productive.