The U.S. is set to announce a deal with Iran regarding the Strait of Hormuz as early as today — Axios
The U.S., Iran, and Oman are close to reaching an interim agreement on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. According to Axios, Washington could announce the agreement as early as August 5, provided the final stages of negotiations are completed.
According to two regional sources, the agreement under discussion calls for a 60-day interim deal between Oman and Iran, which could be extended.
At the same time, the agreement will meet some of Iran’s demands regarding tighter control over ship traffic in the strait, which did not exist before the war. The document includes the following provisions:
- all incoming vessels through the strait into the Persian Gulf will take the northern route through Iranian waters;
- all outgoing traffic through the strait and into the Arabian Sea will follow the southern route through Omani waters in coordination with Iran;
- for a period of 60 days, no transit fees or other charges will be levied;
- the parties undertake to begin demining the strait’s maritime mine barrier within 30 days;
- once the demilitarized zone has been cleared, it will be used for inbound and outbound traffic in accordance with the terms of a permanent agreement to be negotiated between Oman and Iran.
According to regional sources, in addition to the negotiations between Oman and Iran, officials from Qatar, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia also acted as mediators.
The White House, for its part, also played an active role in the negotiations. In recent days, several telephone conversations took place between Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi.
Two Iranian officials reported that Araghchi agreed to the deal this weekend, but he still needs approval from Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and the Supreme National Security Council.
According to a U.S. official and a regional source, Iranian leaders finalized the approval process for the deal on Tuesday.
Source: Axios
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