Iran has declared it will not work with any foreign partners to clear naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, asserting exclusive responsibility for securing one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints.

In a statement from the Foreign Ministry, Tehran said that under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, all mine clearance operations in the narrow waterway will be conducted solely by Iranian forces. The ministry stressed that Iran “will not cooperate with any other country on this matter,” framing control of the strait as a core element of its sovereignty and regional role.

The declaration came after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France and Oman had agreed to coordinate with international partners on mine clearance efforts in the Strait of Hormuz to safeguard commercial shipping. Macron outlined the initiative on the social media platform X following talks in Paris with Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, who is on his first official visit to France.

Iran sharply rejected the French-led approach, warning that the regional environment is already “sensitive and complex.” The Foreign Ministry urged Paris to avoid what it called “provocative actions” that could deepen tensions and complicate crisis management in the Gulf.

The competing announcements underscore mounting anxiety over maritime security in and around the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of the world’s seaborne oil passes. Traffic through the strait had been slowly normalizing after a US-Iran understanding led the US-led Joint Maritime Information Center to downgrade the assessed threat level in adjacent waters to moderate.

That fragile improvement was shaken when a container ship and an oil tanker were attacked in nearby waters on separate days last week, reviving fears of escalation and disruption to global energy supplies.

In response, US Central Command said American forces struck Iranian targets after an attack on a commercial vessel near the strait. Washington framed the action as a defensive measure aimed at deterring further assaults on international shipping.

Iran’s refusal to accept outside participation in mine clearance now places its naval forces at the center of any effort to secure the passage, while setting up a potential clash of expectations with Western and regional states seeking a broader, multinational security framework for the Gulf’s most strategic waterway.