Iran, US set new conditions during Hormuz talks: What does this mean?

The United States and Iran have exchanged new demands during negotiations for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, raising new doubts about prospects for a wider deal to end their five-month war.

While the US has said it is involved directly in the talks, Iran has said it is talking directly only with Oman, with which it proposes sharing future management of the critical waterway, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies were shipped before the US-Israel war on Iran began at the end of February.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump said he would demand compensation from Iran for deaths and injuries linked to conflicts and attacks over several decades after Iran last week issued new demands for reparations for the war and said it would not reopen the strait until Washington meets its political and economic conditions.

Experts said broader peace negotiations between the two countries are unlikely to restart until the issue of the Strait of Hormuz is resolved.

“The two sides are further apart,” Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi reported from Tehran. “They are getting more and more distant when it comes to the possibility of any diplomatic settlement.”

The latest developments threaten to further complicate the talks between Tehran and Oman on future management of the strait despite both Iran and the US previously indicating they want an agreement to end the fighting.

Trump said Iran should pay compensation for people killed or seriously wounded through Iranian actions.

“We’re going ⁠⁠to ask for money for the damage they’ve done over a 50-year period,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “So if there’s damages to be paid, I think Iran should pay those damages.”