CAIRO (AP) 鈥� Iran said Wednesday it is in the 鈥渇inal stage鈥� of drafting an agreement with Oman over the , and U.S. President Donald Trump has said a deal could be announced this week. That could potentially reopen the critical waterway, ease pressure on the world economy and help bring an .
But the agreement is likely to be contingent on the U.S. lifting its blockade on Iran鈥檚 ports. The Trump administration has that would cement Iran’s grip over the strait, which would amount to a major loss for the U.S. and a break with global norms.
Iran has insisted on some measure of control over the strait, saying it will not go back to being an open international waterway, as it was before the war.
The U.S., along with Israel, , citing various goals including toppling Tehran鈥檚 government and ending its nuclear program. Those have not been achieved, and the conflict has devolved into a fight over the strait as Iran’s assertion of control and attacks on shipping have ground traffic to a near halt.
Closure of the strait, through which once passed, has driven up the price of fuel and basic goods, roiling the global economy. Trump is also under mounting pressure to end ahead of U.S. congressional elections.
Iran鈥檚 Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, said that the agreement with Oman is in the 鈥渇inal stage鈥� of drafting, and that a joint statement will be issued 鈥渋f certain parties do not obstruct this process,鈥� apparently referring to the U.S.
Regional officials tell AP negotiators have finalized a draft
Iranian and Omani negotiators have finalized the draft deal to reopen the strait and await final approval from Iran鈥檚 Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, two regional officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Khamenei is believed to have been wounded in the war’s opening strikes and has not been seen in public since then.
The officials, who were briefed on the negotiations, portrayed the potential deal as a temporary solution to the dispute over the strait. They said it is tied to in June that aimed at ending the fighting and reopening the waterway but ultimately collapsed.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private talks, said the potential deal will pave the way for the U.S. and Iran to resume negotiations on Tehran鈥檚 nuclear program.
Earlier, they had said the potential agreement would have ships enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman. Service fees would be charged for providing security and preserving the maritime environment, the officials said.
The U.S. has said it is strongly opposed to any arrangement that would see Iran charge fees.
Trump said a deal to reopen the strait is close
Trump was asked on Tuesday evening by reporters about a report on the Axios news site that an announcement on the strait could be made on Wednesday.
鈥淚t could happen. Tomorrow or the next day,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淎 lot of progress has been made.鈥�
Vice President JD Vance acknowledged Wednesday that it can seem like the U.S. is not making progress in Iran, describing the effort to end the war as 鈥渕essy鈥� and that 鈥渋t鈥檚 going to take some time鈥�
Vance said in an interview that aired in the evening on Fox News Channel that the Iranians are 鈥渆xtraordinarily difficult people鈥� and that efforts to try to resolve the war sometimes require moving backward before moving forward.
Also on Wednesday, oil prices initially eased but later inched up. Brent crude, the international standard, was around $80 per barrel 鈥� still well below the levels it hit at the height of the conflict.
In recent days, Trump has alternately threatened massive strikes and voiced support for diplomatic efforts.
Attacks on regional shipping continue
The in Yemen claimed Wednesday they had fired ballistic missiles toward a Saudi oil tanker on the Red Sea off the Saudi port of Yanbu, without providing evidence. There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia.
A vessel sailing in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen reported a loud explosion that happened in close proximity, the British military鈥檚 United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said Wednesday, adding that the crew was safe. The Houthis claimed to have fired a ballistic missile at another Saudi oil tanker.
A between the rebels and Saudi Arabia threatens to reignite Yemen’s civil war, which pitted the Houthis against a Saudi-led coalition supporting the country鈥檚 government.
In July, the Houthis announced they were that leads to the Red Sea for Saudi-linked shipping. That puts additional pressure on international shipping since the Red Sea became a key alternative route for Saudi oil exports during the war.
Israel and Hezbollah鈥檚 ceasefire increasingly shaky
The shaky ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah grew more volatile Wednesday, as the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning to residents of the southern Lebanese village of Mansouri 鈥� the first such warning in weeks.
Later, the Israeli military said it had begun conducting 鈥減recise strikes鈥� in southern Lebanon in response to what it described as 鈥渁 blatant violation of the ceasefire鈥� that had largely held since June 20.
The escalation came as Lebanese and Israeli negotiators met in Rome for a second day to discuss implementation of a deal under which Israeli forces are supposed to withdraw from areas they are occupying in southern Lebanon in exchange for Hezbollah’s disarmament.
A State Department official said the talks in Rome ended early 鈥渄ue to events on the ground鈥� but could continue on Thursday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the diplomacy, said the discussions “were extremely productive.鈥�
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Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece, and Superville from Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Aamer Madhani, Fatima Hussein, Matthew Lee and Michelle L. Price in Washington and Claire Galofaro in Louisville, Kentucky, contributed.
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This story has been corrected to show that the State Department official was referring to Israel-Lebanon talks ending early and not the talks over the Strait of Hormuz, and that the vessel reporting a loud explosion was in the Gulf of Aden, not the Red Sea.
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