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(Bloomberg) — Iranian lawmakers are debating the wording of a proposed deal with Oman on the Strait of Hormuz, with US President Donald Trump insisting an agreement is getting closer.
Trump said the talks are "moving along" and gave no additional comment when asked about progress by White House reporters late Thursday. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said earlier this week that an understanding with Oman had been reached "in principle," and state TV cited one lawmaker on Friday as saying the final text and details of an agreement with Muscat will be announced "soon."
Some Iranian politicians are pushing for clauses such as a ban on US and Israeli ships from the waterway, the semi-official Fars news agency reported, a condition that would defy Washington's demand for free passage despite a lack of US- or Israeli-flagged commercial ships globally.
Other modifications reported by Fars include an Iranian demand for compensation from "hostile countries," a proposed ban on cargo related to Israel, and a fee structure covering services like insurance and environmental costs.
It's also unclear whether Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has given his assent to the proposal, a condition for it to go ahead. Iranian officials have said that communicating with him takes time.
A deal on the management of the strait has become key to expectations for a further pick up in energy flows, which have continued despite recent outbreaks of hostilities, albeit at lower levels than before the US and Israel attacked Iran at the end of February. A reopening of the crucial chokepoint would also likely pave the way for a return to broader negotiations between the US and Iran to end the war.
Fars said late Thursday that Iranian naval forces had struck "hostile targets" at the entrance to the strait, citing an unnamed source, an indication that tensions remain high.
Brent crude oil held steady at about $82 a barrel, after gaining almost 4% in the previous session.
Arab mediators discussing a deal with Iran for the Strait of Hormuz are concerned that the nation's diplomats may not be able to guarantee compliance with any agreement reached, the Wall Street Journal reported. Mediators cited by the paper say Tehran's lead negotiators are under growing pressure from hardline officials to eke out more explicit references to Iran's role in the strait and clearer benefits.
One a few US- or Israeli-flagged commercial ships have sailed in and out of the Persian Gulf since the war started. It remains to be seen how broadly Iran might interpret a ban on them, as the complex nature of vessel ownership and management means some shipping companies with US or Israeli ownership or investment could be viewed as having links to those countries.
Trump has insisted for months that navigation through Hormuz must be resumed, threatening fresh attacks on Iran if it fails to reopen the waterway. Any temporary routes through the strait won't be subject to approvals, permissions, tolls or charges, a US official said Thursday in response to reports on the latest proposals.
Tehran says a full reopening would require the lifting of the American maritime blockade, something the US hasn't indicated whether it's ready to do.
Fars, citing an informed source at Iran's Foreign Ministry, said the draft agreement with Oman foresees Iranian management over the entry of vessels into Hormuz, with the exit being overseen jointly by both countries. They envisage transit through a "central corridor," with traffic via the two other routes that are currently in limited use to cease within a "specified timeframe," the agency reported.
Trump, who stepped back from his most recent threats to resume military attacks on the Islamic Republic, said Thursday that the US is involved in negotiations, but declined to say whether an agreement had been reached.
"We control it, but they can always shoot something," Trump said of the vital waterway earlier Thursday.
Many previous claims of an imminent deal have proven unfounded, and it's not clear if the Iran-Oman proposals will be enough to get traffic flowing again. On Thursday, Iran's lead negotiator with the US, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, mocked the White House for repeatedly making threats and then climbing down, calling it "theater diplomacy on loop."
Several potential obstacles to a durable peace deal have emerged as the war spread across the region.
Those include attacks on Saudi Arabia by the Houthis, an Iran-backed militia that controls much of Yemen. The Yemeni group said it launched a "large-scale" attack against Saudi-aligned troops in the country's central region on Thursday, claiming to have killed and injured hundreds.
The Associated Press reported that at least 30 troops of Yemen's internationally recognized government had been killed in the strikes, citing officials from the government. The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen also said the militant group fired projectiles across the Saudi border into the region of Najran, close to Yemen's northern border.
The Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition have observed a ceasefire since 2022, but hostilities have erupted in recent weeks. These included incidents in the Red Sea, from where the majority of Saudi Arabia's oil exports have departed since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Visible traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited, with only limited cargoes from Middle Eastern producers ferried through as part of a shuttle program involving help from the US military and vessels turning off their transponders.
