Trump signals breakthrough with Iran — Strait of Hormuz "will be opened very soon"
Trump says Washington held "very good talks" with Iran and predicts the blocked Strait of Hormuz will reopen soon, while Tehran and Oman continue negotiations.
US President Donald Trump said his administration had held "very good talks" with Iran and suggested a deal to end the five-month conflict could be close, increasing expectations of a reopening of maritime traffic through the blocked Strait of Hormuz.
Global markets reacted: oil prices fell and Asian trading indexes rose after Wall Street reached record highs, amid optimism that a pact to resume shipping through the chokepoint may arrive soon.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump praised negotiators, saying, "They were conducting all-day negotiations," and added that the Hormuz "will be opened very soon." He also issued a warning to Tehran: "if they pull back again, they will be hit very hard."
Signals of a temporary arrangement with Oman
A US political website, citing two regional sources and a US official, reported that Washington and Tehran were nearing a temporary agreement to reopen the Strait in coordination with Oman, which controls part of the adjacent waters. Iranian state media, quoting an unnamed source, said any deal with Oman would be delayed "while the US continues its threats against Iran."
Meanwhile the spokesman for Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmail Bagai, said talks with Oman about transit through the Strait were "positive" and ongoing, with a focus on establishing secure maritime corridors. The Strait of Hormuz normally carries about one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas volumes.
The United Nations' International Maritime Organization reported that since the start of the war on 28 February there have been at least 17 seafarer fatalities in 64 incidents linked to the Strait.
Photo: press material from the event
