The order to halt US strikes on Iran was given hours after an Omani delegation arrived in Tehran for talks on a new arrangement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to Barak Ravid (Axios). Two regional sources familiar with the negotiations said progress has been made and an agreement between Oman and Iran could be reached as early as this weekend. Trump would then need to decide whether to accept the proposed arrangement.
New details emerged Saturday evening linking President Donald Trump's decision to halt US strikes on Iran to the arrival of an Omani delegation in Tehran. According to Barak Ravid (Axios), the order was given hours after the Omani delegation began talks on a new arrangement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Two regional sources familiar with the negotiations told Ravid that progress has been made and that an agreement between Oman and Iran could be reached as early as this weekend.
The halt order, first reported by The Zioneer at 20:29 Jerusalem, ended 13 consecutive days of US strikes on Iranian military infrastructure. The thread of reports leading up to the halt began earlier today: initial unconfirmed reports of a break in the overnight strikes (versions 1-2), followed by confirmation that the US refrained from striking (version 3), Trump delaying a planned strike and warning Russia and China against arms sales (version 4), Trump confirming that US-Iran talks are ongoing but no deal imminent (version 5), and finally Trump officially ordering the halt (version 6). The Axios report now provides the first diplomatic context, indicating that the halt was triggered by the Omani mediation and that progress is being made toward a Strait of Hormuz reopening deal.
The development follows earlier reports of a potential 60-day ceasefire between the US and Iran, which Trump said was near in a June 12 statement, as The Zioneer reported. Oman has previously served as a mediator in US-Iran talks. An agreement between Oman and Iran on reopening the Strait of Hormuz could serve as a foundation for a broader arrangement.
It remains unclear whether Trump will accept the proposed Omani-brokered deal. The specifics of the arrangement and Iran's final position are also unverified at this time.
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