US President Donald Trump says fresh negotiations with Iran will start today, after he chose to delay threatened military action against the Islamic republic in an effort to secure a deal that could end the war.
Mr Trump said the discussions would address the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor for global energy shipments that has emerged as one of the conflict’s most difficult disputes, as well as Iran’s eventual denuclearisation.
Iran, meanwhile, said it was close to reaching an agreement with Oman on a new route through the strait. The announcement came after a tanker reported an explosion in the vicinity yesterday, highlighting the continuing dangers around the strategically important waterway.
Washington and Tehran have been at war since 28 February, when the US and Israel launched surprise attacks on Iran. Months of intermittent diplomacy, however, have brought periods of relative calm.
The Strait of Hormuz has become a key sticking point in the conflict
Mr Trump stepped back from his threat on Saturday, saying the “perimeters” of a possible agreement had been established.
“Now what we’re doing is we’re talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon,” Mr Trump told journalists aboard Air Force One, offering no information about where the talks would take place or who would attend.
The president said Iran, along with US allies Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, had urged him to suspend the strikes. He claimed the planned operation would have been “the biggest attack since World War II”.
Iranian media rejected the assertion that Tehran had appealed to Mr Trump to avoid an attack.
An earlier ceasefire agreement, which included reopening the Strait of Hormuz, collapsed. Iran has since strengthened its grip on the waterway.
At the beginning of the conflict, Mr Trump said military action was needed to address Iran’s nuclear programme. Western governments accuse Tehran of pursuing a weapons capability, while Iran maintains that its programme is solely for civilian purposes.
‘Exchange of views’
Hassan Ghashghavi, an Iranian politician and spokesman for parliament’s national security commission, said mediators were working to restore a US-Iran memorandum of understanding reached in June.
The memorandum was not designed to serve as a final peace settlement. Instead, it was meant to provide a foundation for talks on a broader agreement, although it contained provisions relating to 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,” Mr Ghashghavi said.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on X: “We must strive to compel the enemy to remain committed to what it has signed.”
Before the war, vessels had been allowed to pass freely through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran closed the waterway during the conflict and now says it must retain control and impose tolls, demands rejected by the US.
The disagreement led to the resumption of strikes last month after Tehran refused to permit ships to use any route except one running close to Iran’s coast.
Esmaeil Baqaei, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, told state television yesterday that Tehran and Oman were nearing an agreement on an alternative route through the strait.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian
“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,” he said.
He stressed that reaching such an understanding would not amount to reopening the strait.
Maritime trade tracking company Kpler said on Friday that shipping traffic through Hormuz had fallen sharply.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre said yesterday that a tanker off Oman’s coast had reported an explosion near the vessel. The ship and its crew were reported to be safe.
Oil prices dropped as Asian trading opened after Mr Trump announced the planned negotiations. West Texas Intermediate fell 4.7% to $80.72 a barrel.
