Rubio hopes US can reach Hormuz deal with Iran ‘very shortly’ as officials say progress has been made – as it happened
Iran and Oman made progress on Tuesday toward a deal to reopen the strait of Hormuz, a potential breakthrough that could help end the war, regional officials said. Under the emerging agreement, ships would enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman, with service fees charged for providing security and preserving the maritime environment, two regional officials told the Associated Press. US secretary of state Marco Rubio said there has been progress made in discussions with Iran and Oman on getting more ships through the strait of Hormuz but no final agreement has been reached. “There’s been progress made in those talks, but not finality yet. We’re hoping that will happen very shortly,” Rubio told reporters at the US state department. The US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said Washington could reach a deal with Iran by tomorrow to reopen the strait of Hormuz. “We are in talks with the Iranians, and I think there is a chance we may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the strait and move towards a more normalised position in this conflict,” he said in an interview with CNBC. Qatar’s foreign ministry said efforts to reach a diplomatic solution between the US and Iran were “ongoing”, despite conflicting statements from Tehran and Washington over whether negotiations had resumed. “We can confirm that the efforts are still ongoing with all parties,” the ministry spokesperson, Majed al-Ansari, told reporters at a briefing today. Iran’s president was also forced to deny claims that he has repeatedly threatened to resign as he battles hardline factions opposed to reaching a settlement with the US over the strait of Hormuz. Masoud Pezeshkian accused some of wishing to create a rift inside Iran and said: “If I want to resign, I will officially announce that I have resigned. I will not resign, I will stand.” Here’s our story on that. Meanwhile, Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces will not withdraw from their current lines in Gaza until Hamas has completely disarmed. Sugessting there were differences between Israel and the Trump administration over a recent deal announced to disarm the militant group, Netanyahu, who faces a tough battle for re-election in October, said that Hamas’s disarmament should come first, and that Israeli forces would continue to “do whatever is necessary to protect themselves, our territory, and our citizens.” He added that the Trump administration “sent us a draft. We did not agree. It is not our draft. We sent our comments. This is our position. We stand firm on our interests, I believe both wisely and resolutely.” And the latest round of US-facilitated talks between Israel and Lebanon also began on Tuesday in Rome and will continue through Thursday, US state department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said. “These discussions bring together technical teams from both governments to advance full implementation of the Trilateral Framework, including the pilot zone process, verified disarmament of Hizballah and other Iran-backed security threats, redeployment of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, and laying the ground for a comprehensive peace and security agreement,” Pigott wrote in a post on X.





