Oman has agreed to the framework of an agreement with Iran for the temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, two Middle Eastern diplomats familiar with the details of the negotiations told MS NOW on Thursday evening. Against the backdrop of Iranian reports about the agreement, the diplomats declined to detail the terms of the temporary deal or explain which issues remain in dispute.
However, an Iranian government official involved in drafting the agreement told the American news network that under the deal, new shipping lanes would be established, allowing ships to enter the Persian Gulf through a route controlled by Iran and exit through a route controlled by Oman.
(Photos: Brendan Smialowski/AFP, Reuters/Stringer)
According to the official, and contrary to what has been claimed in the Iranian media, the agreement does not include collecting fees from commercial vessels seeking safe passage through the strait. According to the report, it is a “temporary agreement” intended to lay the groundwork for Washington and Tehran to announce a new ceasefire and resume negotiations on the nuclear program, which collapsed following the exchange of strikes in the strait.
The official also claimed that the U.N. International Maritime Organization and the U.S. would be involved in the official announcement of the agreement. Another official from a Gulf state, familiar with the details of the understandings, also told MS NOW that the arrangement had received approval from the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council. It is still unclear when an official announcement on the agreement is expected.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday evening at the White House that “the war will end fairly soon. I don’t think they [the Iranians] can continue much longer.”
Asked whether an agreement had been reached to open the strait, he replied: “I don’t want to say there is an agreement. The strait is pretty open right now. There is what is called a blockade, led by the U.S. Navy, and we control it, but they can always shoot something or lay a mine. If there is even one mine there, it disrupts everything, because people don’t want to take their ships, which are worth a billion dollars, and get hit by mistake.”
Asked about the budget for replenishing ammunition stockpiles, Trump blamed former President Joe Biden for giving a “tremendous amount” of weapons to Ukraine. “Everything was given for free, without payment. Hundreds of billions of dollars,” he claimed.
“We have certain types of munitions that are very powerful, that we have unlimited, virtual unlimited supply. We have others where it's a little bit tighter. But we have certain types of ammunition that are very powerful. They may not be as precise, and they may not be the most advanced type. We also have advanced ammunition, but we are following the situation very closely,” he said.