Tehran (TDI): Iran and Oman have resumed talks on managing traffic through the Strait of Hormuz as diplomatic efforts to resolve the wider US-Iran standoff remain stalled.
The two countries said on Tuesday they had discussed establishing a “joint temporary navigational corridor” through the strategic waterway and agreed to work on mine clearance.
The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial global energy route, carrying around one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before the conflict began in February. Most commercial shipping has remained disrupted since then.
The talks come as Iran faces mounting economic pressure from the United States. Washington has threatened penalties against countries continuing to conduct business with Tehran, although the US has said the measures will not be imposed immediately.
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Despite a decline in active hostilities between the US and Iran, diplomatic efforts to reach a broader settlement have yet to make a breakthrough, while concerns over safe navigation in the strait remain.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said an oil tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile on Tuesday and disabled about nine nautical miles northeast of Oman’s Ash Shishah, near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump has meanwhile claimed that mines in the waterway have been cleared. In a separate development, the US Secret Service said it was aware of a video aired by Iranian state television discussing a potential plot to assassinate Trump’s youngest son, Barron.
Meanwhile, Washington has begun returning some personnel to diplomatic missions in the Middle East that had been evacuated or downsized amid tensions with Iran, according to people familiar with the matter.
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The move suggests the US sees a reduced risk of an immediate escalation, although some diplomatic missions are expected to initially operate with limited staffing.
Iran has condemned Washington’s latest economic pressure campaign as “gross lawlessness” and expressed confidence that major trading partners would resist US efforts to isolate its economy.
Oil prices declined for a second consecutive day as markets assessed the potential impact of the new sanctions. The reopening of a safe navigation route through the Strait of Hormuz is emerging as a key element in efforts to reduce tensions and restore commercial shipping in the region.
