APTOPIX Iran War Strait of Hormuz
People spend time at a beach as commercial vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026.
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Iran says it is in the final stage of drafting an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz waterway with Oman. At least two ships were hit in the strait in the past week, while several others reported near misses or warnings from entities claiming to represent Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Yemen's Houthi rebels attacked government forces, killing at least 30 in one of the biggest such assaults since a 2022 truce. Two Israeli soldiers have been killed in southern Lebanon.
The 60-day deadline for an agreement to end the Iran war and resolve the dispute over its nuclear program is expiring. An interim agreement reached in June has collapsed, and Washington and Tehran are even further apart than they were then. Talks appear to be mostly indirect through mediators and have focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The crucial waterway for global energy has been largely closed by Iranian attacks on shipping. Iran has issued far-reaching demands for opening it, while the U.S. appears to be banking on economic pressure to get Tehran to back down. Fighting flared in July and could resume at any time.
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman because he is unhappy the country is close to a deal with Iran to manage ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. That's what two regional officials said on Tuesday, a day after Trump leveled the threat. The officials said the Trump administration has told Oman it is opposed to parts of the yet-to-be-announced deal, including the joint Iranian and Omani management of the exit route out of the passage. The strait is critical to global supplies of oil and natural gas. The officials were briefed on the U.S. position and how the administration views Oman’s position.
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