Reuters reports, citing sources, that an agreement between Iran and Oman regarding the Strait of Hormuz is expected to be reached soon. The report follows a US official's statement earlier Friday expressing similar expectations, as The Zioneer reported at 22:09.
The Reuters news agency reported at 22:28 Jerusalem, citing sources, that an agreement between Iran and Oman to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is expected to be finalized soon. The report comes less than 25 minutes after The Zioneer published a bulletin at 22:04 Jerusalem reporting a US official's statement that progress had been made in the negotiations and that a deal was expected shortly, with the United States set to lift its naval blockade on Iranian ports upon the announcement.
The US official's statement, first reported by Reuters and carried by The Zioneer in multiple versions at 22:04, marked the first on-record confirmation from an American source that an agreement is imminent. That development followed a week of reporting by The Zioneer on the progress of the talks. On Wednesday, Aug 5, the Associated Press reported that Iran and Oman had completed a draft agreement for a 60-day interim reopening of the Strait, based on the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, and that it was awaiting approval from Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Later that day, diplomatic sources outlined to The Zioneer that the arrangement would route inbound shipping through Iranian waters and outbound traffic through Omani waters, with a service fee mechanism, granting Tehran increased oversight of the strategic waterway.
The negotiations, conducted with Omani mediation, have been ongoing for weeks, with eight rounds of talks reported by the Jerusalem Center for Foreign and Security Affairs in an analysis published on Thursday, Aug 6. The emerging framework is seen as a critical de-escalation step intended to facilitate the resumption of nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran. As The Zioneer reported earlier this week, the arrangement includes a 60-day interim period for maritime traffic, with Iranian oversight and a service fee to offset environmental and security costs.
The Reuters report reinforces the expectation of a near-term breakthrough, but the agreement has not yet been formally announced. It remains unclear whether final approval has been obtained from the Supreme Leader of Iran, whose authorization is required for the deal to take effect.
3 developments
- StrongAl-Hadath Reports Oman, Iran Statement on Strait of Hormuz Expected Within Hours
- DevelopingIranian Parliament Awaits Final Approval on Proposed Strait of Hormuz Navigation Agreement with Oman
- DevelopingU.S., Iran, and Oman advance in Hormuz talks, unconfirmed report says
- StrongOmani mediators optimistic for Strait of Hormuz breakthrough in coming days, Bloomberg reports
Source and signal
- Open-source intake