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Iran, Oman edging toward Strait of Hormuz deal amid fresh attacks on vessels

The Trump administration is anticipating that Tehran and Muscat will agree on a framework “soon” so that oil can resume flowing through the waterway.

By JNS

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that the Islamic Republic and Oman were “very close” to agreeing on a naval route through the Strait of Hormuz, but that reopening the choke point still depended on other conditions, one of them being U.S. compensation to Tehran.

The previous traffic arrangement stipulated in the Memorandum of Understanding between Washington and Tehran in June was no longer acceptable to Iran, Reuters cited Araghchi as saying.

A temporary alternative route is being finalized with Oman, the report added.

Oman is situated to the south of the strait.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian held a press conference in Tehran the same day, saying that now is the best time for an agreement to end hostilities, the report continued.

“There is cohesion, strength and unity in the country, and as far as I know, Iran is considered victorious and powerful in this war,” Iranian news agencies quoted him as saying.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance spoke to Fox News on Saturday, saying that Washington is talking to the Iranian regime and is looking to “maximize the amount of oil and gas that is coming out of the Strait of Hormuz.”

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Vance said that U.S. forces destroyed Iran’s nuclear program and conventional military in the war that started on Feb. 28, and now Washington is “trying to see if [the Iranians are] willing to make the kind of long-term changes that would be necessary to have a better relationship with the United States—and if not, that’s fine too.”

Washington’s aim is to “keep on applying the pressure that we can apply and getting as much oil and gas out of the Middle East so that Americans can enjoy lower gas and energy prices,” the vice president said.

A U.S. official cited on condition of anonymity said that the Trump administration was anticipating that Tehran and Muscat would agree on a framework “soon” so that oil could resume flowing through the waterway.

“Once the deal is announced to restore commercial shipping without impediments, the United States will lift the blockade of Iranian ports. As always, U.S. actions will ‌continue to ⁠be performance-based and tied to Iran’s implementation of its commitments,” Reuters quoted the official as saying.

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The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesperson, Hossein Mohebbi, said on Saturday, “Whenever the United States accepts Iran’s conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will certainly be reopened,” the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency reported.

On Wednesday, a senior Iranian source and two regional officials told Reuters that the Iranian-Omani deal would grant the Islamic Republic control over the vessels entering the strait, as Tehran seeks to level a fee on passing ships.

Iran’s sporadic attacks on commercial vessels in the waterway have disrupted global shipping and energy prices.

The United Arab Emirates’ flagship oil company reported on Saturday a fresh attack on one of its carriers, saying in a statement it was struck by a missile while passing through the waterway.

“ADNOC can confirm that one of its vessels was targeted by a missile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz in the early hours of Saturday, August 8. The incident resulted in no injuries, and the situation has been brought under control,” the company stated.