U.S. ready to return to ‘commitments,’ Iran says as Strait of Hormuz deal looms
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Iran and Oman are close to finalizing a deal on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, according to officials, as both Iran and the U.S. signaled a deal would be announced soon.
Shipping through the Strait will face "no fees or tolls" under a temporary deal agreed between Iran and Oman, an Iranian government official linked with the deal told MS NOW.
They added that the agreement includes all inbound traffic via Iranian territorial waters, as well as outbound traffic through a route closer to Oman.
The official, who asked not to be named due to the sensitive nature of the matter, said the deal was intended to allow talks to return to the ceasefire and memorandum of understanding agreed between the U.S. and Iran in mid-June, kickstarting another 60-day cycle of negotiations.
The official also told MS Now that the UN's International Maritime Organization and the U.S. will be involved in the announcement.
A separate Gulf government official told MS Now the deal has been endorsed by the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Speaking to state broadcaster IRNA, Iran Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the U.S. was ready to "return to commitments," late on Wednesday, while denying that U.S. negotiations were ongoing with Washington.
He did not elaborate on the commitments, but was likely referring to the interim understanding reached in June.
Under the memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 between the U.S. and Iran, Tehran was supposed to allow commercial vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz with no charge for 60 days. In return, Washington had committed to lifting its naval blockade of Iranian ships, among other things.
Trump had accused the Islamic republic's leaders on Monday stateside of being "duplicitous" about peace talks, saying they were underway "whether Iran wants to admit it or not."
Gharibabadi said that the "path of understanding is between Iran and Oman, and no negotiations with the US have taken place during this period."
The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comments.
In a statement on Thursday, Gharibabadi said that an Iran-Oman "understanding" on the Hormuz Strait was close to being finalized.
Iran had demanded that the shipping routes in the strait should be changed, he said, adding that the "old routes no longer meet the current difficult conditions that have jeopardized the national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran."
Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Bagahei had earlier signaled that the deal was close, provided that "some third parties do not obstruct work in this regard."
On Tuesday night stateside, Axios reported that the U.S., Iran and Oman were closing in on an interim agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with Washington aiming for a Wednesday announcement.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also told CNBC that a deal to unlock the waterway could be reached by Wednesday.
U.S. Central Command insisted in an X post Tuesday that the "southern route through the Strait of Hormuz remains free and open for all commercial vessels seeking to transit the international waterway." The southern route passes through Omani territorial waters, rather than the part closer to Iran.
Separately, the U.K.'s Maritime Trade Organisation said on Thursday it had received reports of explosions near tankers off Yemen and Oman on Wednesday.
— CNBC's Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report.
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