Iran works to finalise Strait of Hormuz agreement with Oman

Iran says it is working to finalise a joint statement with Oman on a plan to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Fully reopening the waterway has been a key US demand, and President Donald Trump has again threatened Oman if it gets in the way of that goal.

Meanwhile, the 60-day negotiating period to find a peace deal between the US and Iran was expiring, with no word of an extension and both sides seemingly as far apart as they were at the start.

Iran said it has reached an agreement with Oman over a plan for ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz, which runs between the countries, and the sides are now working to finalise details for a joint statement.

Iranian Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran that "an understanding has been reached regarding the map of the transit route.”

He did not elaborate, but details that have previously emerged suggest the deal would reopen the strait with ships entering through a route close to Iran and exiting through a route close to Oman. Ships would transit without paying fees or tolls during an interim period.

The US has sought an acceptable deal on opening the strait before ending its blockade of Iranian ports.

Iran effectively closed the strait — through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil supplies passed before the war — after Israel and the US attacked the country on Feb. 28.

Baghaei conceded the talks with Oman have gone slowly, "but we had planned, and still plan, to finalize the understanding in the form of a package: the map plus a joint statement.”

Trump told Fox News reporter Trey Yingst that the US would bomb Oman if it "gets in the way,” using an expletive for emphasis. Fox News did not provide audio of the interview.

This is not the first time that Trump has threatened Oman.

In May, he told reporters during a Cabinet meeting that "Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we will have to blow them up.”

Trump also said the expiration of the 60-day deadline on talks to end the war was irrelevant and said there was no timeline, Yingst said. Trump said the U.S. has a back channel for talks with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Yingst added.

Associated Press