Iran, Oman weigh temporary Hormuz corridor as US standoff continues

Iran said it had resumed discussions with neighbouring Oman on managing traffic through the Strait of Hormuz as Tehran faces growing economic pressure from US President Donald Trump amid the broader conflict.

Iran and Oman have held intermittent talks for several weeks on regulating maritime traffic through the strategically vital waterway, which accounted for about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before the war began in February.

Most commercial shipping through the strait has remained suspended since then.

The two countries said on Tuesday they had discussed establishing “a joint temporary navigational corridor” through the strait and agreed to remove mines from the waterway.

Trump, meanwhile, claimed that all mines in the Strait of Hormuz had been cleared, repeating an assertion he has made previously.

Although direct hostilities between the US and Iran have largely eased, diplomatic efforts to secure a peace agreement have stalled, leaving navigation through the waterway fraught with risk.

An oil tanker was hit by an unidentified projectile and disabled on Tuesday about 9 nautical miles (17 km) northeast of Oman’s Ash Shishah, near the entrance to the strait, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.

Separately, the US Secret Service said Tuesday it was aware of an Iranian state television broadcast discussing an alleged plot to assassinate Trump’s youngest son, Barron.

The roughly three-minute broadcast claimed that 20-year-old Barron Trump was being monitored and alleged that a $10 million bounty had been offered for his killing.

Sanctions

Despite continued tensions, the United States has begun returning personnel to some diplomatic missions across the Middle East that had been evacuated or scaled back during heightened tensions with Iran, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The move indicates that Washington believes the immediate risk of further escalation has declined, although some embassies are expected to initially operate with reduced staffing.

Seeking to weaken Iran’s economy, Washington earlier this week warned that countries continuing to conduct business with Tehran could face penalties, although it said the sanctions would not be imposed immediately.

Oil prices declined for a second consecutive day as traders largely discounted the potential impact of the US measures. Iran condemned Washington’s efforts to isolate its economy as an act of “gross lawlessness” and said it was confident that many countries would resist joining the pressure campaign.

US public support for the war has fallen to its lowest level since the conflict began, while Trump’s approval rating has also reached a record low ahead of November’s congressional elections, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling.

Thousands of people have been killed in the conflict, with most casualties reported in Iran and Lebanon. The US and Israel have significantly weakened Iran’s conventional military capabilities, while the current status of Tehran’s nuclear programme remains unclear. Washington and Israel have said they aim to dismantle the programme.