RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 14 sourcesA deal between Oman and Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz by directing inbound traffic through a route closer to Iran and outbound traffic through a route closer to Oman, according to a report. The development comes as Tehran said on Wednesday that the two countries had agreed on a route for ships transiting the strategic waterway and were finalising arrangements to jointly manage it.Citing four regional sources, PBS correspondent Nick Schifrin said in a post on X that the arrangement would be announced by Iran, Oman and the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO), alongside the US, and would involve "no fees or tolls".The agreement would be temporary and is intended to return the sides to the ceasefire and the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), according to the sources cited by Schifrin."It's designed to return to the ceasefire and the MOU--restarting a 60-day clock to negotiate deals over Iran's nuclear program, frozen assets, and a permanent arrangement for the Strait," Schifrin wrote.Iran is also expected to receive relief to sell oil during the proposed 60-day period. The arrangement has reportedly been endorsed by members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)."The fact that the GCC is willing to even entertain this temporary deal--with an emphasis on temporary--shocks some analysts, since Iran could hypothetically block all imports through the Strait of Hormuz," Schifrin wrote.The reported understanding comes as US president Donald Trump on Wednesday said "a lot of progress had been made" towards reopening the Strait of Hormuz and suggested that an announcement could be made soon.Trump also claimed that the US is "knocking the hell out of" Iran, but said he would "rather make a deal, because I don't want to kill people."Meanwhile, US vice-president JD Vance, speaking to Fox News on Wednesday, described Iran's leadership as "fractured and difficult to navigate" and said negotiations would be a complex process."Talks with Tehran would be a complex process that would be 'messy' and 'take some time' to reach a resolution," Vance said, according to Fox News.He said divisions within Iran's leadership had complicated efforts to end the conflict, with some factions seeking an end to hostilities while others remained committed to continuing them.Vance also said Washington would use military, economic and diplomatic tools to secure a favourable outcome.On Wednesday, Reuters, citing a senior Iranian source and two regional officials, reported that a proposed Iran-Oman deal to help end the five-month war between Iran and the United States would give Tehran control over ships entering the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz.Reuters described the proposal as one of the biggest concessions yet to Iran.The agreement would mark a step towards reopening the key energy route, but Iranian officials briefing local media stressed that any easing of restrictions would depend on Washington ending its naval blockade of Iranian ports.Iran has exercised de facto control over the waterway and threatened vessels using routes it considers unauthorised since the US and Israel launched their war against Iran on February 28.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.
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