[Edaily Reporter Kim Kyeo-Re ] As Iran and Oman enter the final stages of reaching an agreement on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, hardliners have put forward six key demands, including the withdrawal of U.S. troops. With the U.S. seeking an exit strategy amid dwindling weapons stockpiles and deteriorating public opinion, attention is focused on whether Iran’s additional demands will serve as a major variable in the final stages of the negotiations.

According to Reuters and other sources, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on the 8th (local time), “Iran and Oman were very close to reaching an agreement on a new maritime route through the Strait of Hormuz,” but added, “The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz depends on other conditions, such as U.S. compensation to Iran.”

Iran has stated that it has nearly reached an agreement with Oman, with which it shares the Strait of Hormuz, but the final agreement continues to be delayed. According to the Associated Press, the negotiating teams from both countries have finalized a draft and are awaiting approval from Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.

According to the draft Iran-Oman agreement, the two countries have agreed that ships entering the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz will use the Iranian route, while those leaving will use the Omani route, and that no tolls will be imposed during the transition period.

This agreement aims to restore the existing interim agreement between the United States and Iran and restart the 60-day clock for final negotiations, including on the nuclear issue. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is classified as a moderate, stated, “Now is the optimal time for an agreement.”

However, even if an agreement is reached, it remains uncertain whether the hardliners in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who hold real power in Iran, will accept it. Mohammad Bakir Zolgard, Chairman of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, stated on the same day that reopening the Strait of Hormuz would require: △ the withdrawal of U.S. troops △ a halt to attacks on Iran and its allies—Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq △ the lifting of the naval blockade against Iran △ the lifting of sanctions against Iran △ full compensation for damages suffered by Iran due to U.S. aggression △ and the unfreezing of Iranian assets.

Some analysts suggest that Iran is putting forward these extreme demands to test U.S. President Donald Trump’s resolve to continue the war. Iran appears unwilling to shy away from an escalation of the conflict with the United States. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced the previous day that Iran had attacked a tanker belonging to a UAE state-owned oil company with missiles as it was passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

According to CNN, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Kane recently conveyed to President Trump’s advisors the need to find a way out of the conflict with Iran. This is because, with U.S. strategic weapons such as Patriot interceptor missiles, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, and ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) running low, the U.S. finds itself in a difficult position to expand airstrikes or launch a ground offensive.

As U.S. military assets are mobilized to the Middle East, disruptions to military capabilities in Asia and Europe are becoming a reality. In South Korea as well, artillery and tactical surveillance assets, as well as parts of the air defense network, that had been deployed with U.S. Forces Korea have been redeployed to the Middle East.

Raz Zimt, an Iran expert at the Israeli think tank Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), predicted, “Even if Iran and Oman agree on specific details regarding the operation of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran will not implement them unless the U.S. resumes fulfilling the commitments outlined in the memorandum of understanding.”