Iran, Oman Near Strait of Hormuz Route Agreement

Iran says it is close to reaching an agreement with Oman on a new route through the Strait of Hormuz, hours after United States President Donald Trump announced that planned strikes on the country had been suspended to allow diplomacy to continue.

Trump said on Saturday that the United States and Israel had agreed to hold off on fresh attacks, claiming that the “perimeter” of a deal had been reached.

The United States and Israel have been at war with Iran since February 28, when they launched coordinated strikes on Iranian targets. While intermittent diplomatic efforts have produced periods of relative calm, fighting resumed last month, raising fears of a broader regional conflict.

Trump had previously warned that the United States could strike Iran “very hard” and was reportedly considering renewed attacks, including against energy infrastructure, with US embassies across the Middle East placed on heightened alert.

However, following a series of diplomatic engagements, including discussions with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the US president announced a change in approach.

“We have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal have been agreed to,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL,” he added.

Iranian media, however, denied that Tehran had requested the suspension of military action.

Speaking on Sunday, Hassan Ghashghavi, spokesperson for the Iranian parliament’s national security commission, said mediators were working to revive the Islamabad memorandum of understanding reached in June.

According to him, the memorandum was designed as a framework for broader peace negotiations and already contained provisions relating to the Strait of Hormuz.

“They know that the main issue and, in fact, the key to the matter right now is the issue of the Strait of Hormuz, so yes, there is an exchange of views,” Ghashghavi said.

The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategic shipping lanes for oil and gas exports, has remained at the centre of the dispute.

Before the conflict, vessels enjoyed unrestricted passage through the waterway. However, Iran closed the strait during the war and has insisted on maintaining control over shipping movements while imposing transit charges, a position opposed by the United States.

Trump said any agreement must include the “immediate, complete and total opening of the Hormuz Strait” as well as an end to what he described as Iran’s nuclear threat.

Western governments have long accused Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons, although Tehran maintains that its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful civilian purposes.

The disagreement over access to the Strait of Hormuz contributed to the resumption of hostilities last month after Iran insisted that ships use only a route close to its coastline.

On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran and Oman were close to agreeing on an alternative route through the strait.

“We are now going to reach an understanding on a route acceptable to both sides — neither the northern route nor the southern route — but one that respects the sovereign rights of both sides and safeguards our national interests and security,” Baqaei said.

He stressed, however, that such an agreement would not amount to a full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, maritime trade analytics firm Kpler reported on Friday that shipping traffic through the strategic waterway had fallen sharply amid the ongoing tensions.