Iran and Oman Seek Hormuz Pact

 

“A lull in fighting between the U.S. and Iran has accelerated diplomacy aimed at a short-term fix for the most contentious issue of the war -- restarting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

 

Iran and Oman huddled in the past few days to hammer out an arrangement for ships to safely pass through a waterway that once carried 20% of the world's oil production before the war slowed traffic to a crawl. The narrowly focused talks aren't meant to end the U.S.-Iran conflict, but mediators hope even a temporary accord on an important issue would cool tempers, allow a lifting of maritime blockades and juice talks on implementing a preliminary peace deal Washington and Tehran reached in mid-June.

 

A U.S. official and mediators said Iran and Oman were still far apart on some issues, including whether to charge fees for transit.

 

But both sides said there was progress, marking the first glimmer of hope for diplomacy since President Trump ordered a new round of military strikes on Iran more than two weeks ago in response to Tehran firing on commercial vessels in the strait.

 

Trump halted those strikes Friday, in part to give space to negotiations, U.S. officials said. That night, Oman sent a delegation to Tehran to begin talks on the strait.

 

The goal of the Iran-Oman talks is to agree on which route vessels can take through the 22-mile wide strait. Conflict erupted this month after the U.S. began guiding ships through the strait by hugging the Omani coast. Tehran wants vessels to cross through its territory.

 

On Monday, Trump said "we are talking right now," adding "there's a good chance that something could happen." If not, he said "we go back to doing what we were doing two days ago."

 

The U.S. isn't directly part of the negotiations, though Oman is keeping Washington informed, said regional officials familiar with the talks.

 

Iran's foreign ministry said Monday the U.S. exchanged messages with Tehran but wouldn't call it negotiations. The foreign ministry otherwise gave a rare positive assessment of diplomatic efforts, saying there was progress over the weekend with Omani officials.

 

After weeks of tensions and fighting, the talks give the U.S. and Iran a breather.

 

The U.S. is wrestling with limited stockpiles of air-defense interceptors critical to the war effort, as Iran shows it still has a formidable arsenal of ballistic missiles and drones, U.S. officials said.

 

Meanwhile, Iran's economy is reeling under sanctions, mismanagement and a U.S. blockade of its ports.” [1]

 

1. World News: Iran and Oman Seek Hormuz Pact. Said, Summer; Seligman, Lara.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 28 July 2026: A6.