U.S. Expects Strait of Hormuz Agreement Soon

Reuters

Ships at the Strait of Hormuz.

A U.S. official on Friday reported progress between Iran and Oman that could soon reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to a Reuters report. 

The U.S. official, who declined to be identified, said Washington anticipated ‌an agreement soon between the two countries, which sit on either side of the strait, so that normal oil traffic could resume.

A deal between Iran and Oman over control of the strategic waterway is seen as crucial to a wider peace agreement.

"There is progress between Oman and Iran on the strait, and we expect a deal soon," a U.S. official told Reuters on Friday. "Once the deal is announced to restore commercial shipping without impediments, the United States will lift the blockade of Iranian ports."

"As always, U.S. actions will continue to be performance-based and tied to Iran’s implementation of its commitments," the official said.

Before the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran on 28 February, around one in every five barrels of oil consumed globally passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Since the outbreak of hostilities, Iran has used the conflict to justify imposing transit fees on oil tankers and targeting vessels attempting to pass through the strategic waterway without its permission.

The disruption to shipping through the strait has driven up global energy prices and added to inflationary pressures worldwide.

In recent weeks, the Trump administration has repeatedly suggested that an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz could be imminent. However, Iranian officials have denied that negotiations are taking place, leaving uncertainty over whether the latest diplomatic efforts will produce a lasting breakthrough.

Iran has also intensified pressure on regional shipping through its Yemen-based ally, the Houthi movement, which has stepped up attacks on vessels near another key maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, one of the world's largest energy producers, said on Friday that 15 of its vessels had been attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict began. The company said one crew member had been killed and 20 others injured in what it described as unprovoked attacks.

Amid growing concern over the conflict spilling across the Gulf, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye signed a joint defence agreement in Mecca on Friday.

The three countries, all longstanding U.S. partners with Sunni Muslim majorities, said the agreement is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against external aggression. Under the pact, an armed attack on any one of the three nations would be regarded as an attack on all.

Türkiye said the agreement is purely defensive and is not directed at any specific country. Nevertheless, it comes at a time of heightened tensions with neighbouring Iran.

Meanwhile, the United States is continuing efforts to secure a ceasefire on another front of the regional conflict, seeking to end hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement in southern Lebanon.

Reuters reported, citing a Lebanese official, on Friday that Lebanon and Israel had agreed on a shortlist of countries that could contribute troops to monitor Hezbollah's disarmament under a U.S.-brokered arrangement. The United States will select the participating countries from the agreed list.


PUKMEDIA