\n<\/p>\n
DUBAI: Iran and Oman are still working on the details of an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz, a senior \u200bIranian source said on Wednesday, after Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards said the two countries had agreed how to share the waterway and its revenues.<\/strong><\/p>\n The elite force\u2019s spokesperson, echoing Tehran\u2019s official \u200cstance, also said the strait would not open unless the U.S. met Tehran\u2019s conditions under an interim ceasefire agreement that was struck in June before unravelling. Those conditions include an end to the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports, compensation and removal of sanctions.<\/span><\/p>\n Iran and Oman have held on-and-off talks for weeks about controlling traffic through the strait, which handled one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before the war began in February.<\/span><\/p>\n Most shipping has since been shut down, driving global energy prices \u200bhigher, as Tehran and Washington have tried to assert control over the channel, imposing separate blockades.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAn agreement with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz \u200bhas not been finalised,\u201d the senior Iranian source told Reuters, adding that the talks were continuing on the details of an accord.<\/span><\/p>\n A spokesperson for Iran\u2019s Islamic \u2060Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Iran and Oman had reached an agreement on their shares of the territory and revenues.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe Strait of Hormuz belongs to Iran and the country of Oman\u2026 We have been in negotiations \u200bwith Oman for about a month, and we have reached results that are acceptable to both sides,\u201d Hossein Mohebbi said in comments published by Iranian state media.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn these negotiations, agreements have been reached regarding the share \u200bof each country in the waters of the Strait and the share of Iran and Oman in its revenues,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n It was not immediately clear at what stage of the negotiations the agreements had been reached. Iran had said earlier this month that a deal on the strait was close.<\/span><\/p>\n Following talks on Tuesday between Iran and Oman, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said he was \u201chopeful we will soon announce a temporary corridor for the Strait of Hormuz and practical arrangements to restore \u200bsafe navigation\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n U.S. President Donald Trump has warned Oman against cooperating with Iran, telling Fox News on August 17: \u201cIf Oman gets in the way, we\u2019ll bomb the shit out of them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The IRGC accused the United States of \u200bseeking to obstruct Iran\u2019s negotiations with Oman and said this had caused an agreement to be delayed.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf the United States stops obstructing and returns to the agreement, we can open the Strait of Hormuz within the framework of the \u200cagreement reached \u2026 \u2060If the United States does not accept our conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened under any circumstances,\u201d Mohebbi said.<\/span><\/p>\n Though active hostilities between the U.S. and Iran have largely subsided in recent weeks, diplomatic efforts to reach a peace deal have stalled, and continuing attacks on ships mean passage through the Strait of Hormuz remains perilous.<\/span><\/p>\n Iran announced a blacklist on Sunday of 45 ships in an apparent effort to stop ship-to-ship transfers used by Gulf energy producers to evade the Iranian blockade. Some companies plan to stop using vessels added to the blacklist, sources said.<\/span><\/p>\n In an effort to tighten pressure on Iran\u2019s economy, the United States \u200bhas threatened to punish countries that continue to do business \u200bwith Iran, but said it would not impose \u2060penalties immediately.<\/span><\/p>\n Iran has denounced the U.S. effort to isolate its economy as an act of \u201cgross lawlessness\u201d, expressing confidence that many countries would not join the pressure campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n In a letter to the United Nations published on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi again denounced the new U.S. sanctions, saying they imposed collective punishment by \u200bdenying Iranians access to food, medicine and other necessities.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEither we defend the principles of sovereign equality, non-interference, and respect for the sovereign rights of States, \u200bor we surrender to the \u2060unilateralism and bullying of a rogue state,\u201d Araqchi wrote.<\/span><\/p>\n Oil prices fell for a third day, dropping more than 1.5%, following signs of renewed efforts to seek a mediated end to the war that began on February 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.<\/span><\/p>\n Secretary of State Marco Rubio told allies that the U.S. did not expect to launch new strikes against Iran for now, and would instead focus on other means \u2060of pressure, Axios \u200breported on Tuesday.<\/span><\/p>\n U.S. public approval of the war has fallen to its lowest level since the conflict\u2019s early days, and Trump\u2019s \u200bpopularity is likewise at a record low ahead of congressional elections in November, according to Reuters\/Ipsos polling.<\/span><\/p>\nIRANIAN SOURCE SAYS NO FINAL AGREEMENT REACHED ON STRAIT<\/span><\/h2>\n
ATTACKS ON SHIPPING<\/span><\/h2>\n
U.S. REPORTEDLY NOT PLANNING NEW STRIKES FOR NOW<\/span><\/h2>\n