Iran’s Asian Allies Eye Role in Reopening Hormuz

For two weeks starting August 30, Iran will take center stage at two major summits. First, in Bishkek at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting, then in New Delhi at the BRICS summit. Iran’s leaders will sit alongside presidents and prime ministers who need something from Tehran—just as Tehran needs something from them. That shared need is a reopened Strait of Hormuz. The strait, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, is a vital route for global oil shipments. When it is blocked or restricted, energy prices rise worldwide. The United States has struggled to secure the strait on its own. Now, Iran is looking to its “Asian friends”—members of SCO and BRICS—to help restore passage. These groups include major economies like China, India, and Russia, all of which depend heavily on Gulf oil. The question is whether these Asian powers can succeed where Washington has not. Iran appears willing to negotiate with them, offering access in exchange for political and economic support. The upcoming summits may provide the first real test of this plan. No official agreements have been announced yet. But the timing of the meetings suggests that Hormuz will be a key topic behind closed doors. If Iran’s Asian partners can broker a reopening, it would shift the balance of influence in the region away from the United States. For now, the world watches to see if diplomacy in Bishkek and New Delhi can unlock a strait that the US could not.