Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, said Tuesday that ships are transiting the Strait of Hormuz and that Washington is involved in negotiations between Iran and Oman.
Rubio made the comments during a meeting in Washington with his Paraguayan counterpart, Rubén Ramírez Lezcano, according to EFE. He said a process of dialogue and negotiation exists between Oman and Iran, in which the United States takes part, aimed at determining how more vessels can transit safely in the short term while talks progress toward broader discussions on denuclearization.
Rubio said ships and oil are transiting the strait at this precise moment, so the route remains open. He added that progress has been made in the talks, though no definitive conclusion has been reached yet.
Treasury Secretary Points to Imminent Deal
Scott Bessent, the US Treasury Secretary, said earlier on Tuesday that Washington and Tehran could reach an imminent agreement, possibly within a day, to reopen commercial vessel transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump Suspended Attack to Allow Talks
President Donald Trump suspended an attack on Iran over the weekend, describing it as the largest since World War II, to make way for negotiations. He announced the talks would begin Monday, but Tehran denied this.
Trump accused Iran of being hypocritical for not following through on the negotiations he said were underway, and warned Tehran that this was its last opportunity to sign a good deal. He said the talks would unfold in two phases, first addressing the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, then moving to denuclearization, with the goal of ending the war that the United States and Israel launched on February 28.
Background: June Memorandum and Renewed Blockade
On June 17, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding, but hostilities soon resumed in the Middle East. Iran responded by blocking the strategic commercial passage, prompting Trump to reimpose a naval blockade on the Iranian coast.
