CAIRO — U.S. President Donald Trump said a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz could come as early as Wednesday, as Iran and Oman inched toward an agreement on the critical waterway that could ease pressure on the global economy and potentially help bring an end to the war. The U.S., along with Israel, launched the war on Feb. 28, citing various goals including toppling Tehran’s government and ending its nuclear program. But the conflict has devolved into a fight over the strait as Iranian threats and attacks on shipping ground traffic through the waterway to a halt. Closure of the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas once passed, has driven up the price of fuel and basic goods far beyond the region, roiling the global economy. Trump is also under mounting pressure to end an unpopular war ahead of midterm congressional elections. Trump says a deal to reopen the strait is close The U.S. president was asked by reporters travelling with him in California about a report on the Axios news site that an announcement on the Strait of Hormuz could be made on Wednesday. “It could happen. Tomorrow or the next day,” he said, speaking on Tuesday evening California time. “A lot of progress has been made.” Oil prices initially eased on hopes of a deal that would allow shipping to resume but later inched upward. Brent crude, the international standard, was around US$80 per barrel on Wednesday -- still well below the levels it hit at the height of the conflict. The U.S. and Iran reached a deal to open the strait in June, only for attacks to resume. In recent days, Trump has again alternately threatened massive strikes and voiced support for diplomatic efforts. Regional officials tell AP negotiators have finalized the draft of a deal Iranian and Omani negotiators have finalized the draft deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and are awaiting a final approval from Iran’s supreme leader, two regional officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The officials, who were briefed on the negotiations, portrayed the potential deal as a temporary solution to the U.S.-Iranian dispute over vessels’ transit through the Strait of Hormuz. They said it is tied to the agreement reached between the U.S. and Iran in June that aimed at ending the fighting and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but which ultimately collapsed. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter, said the potential deal will pave the way for the U.S. and Iran to resume negotiations to reach a final deal on Tehran’s nuclear program. Earlier, they had said the possible agreement between Iran and Oman calls for ships to enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman. Service fees would be charged for providing security and preserving the maritime environment, the officials said. Oman and Iran have not officially commented. The Trump administration has previously ruled out any deal that would give Iran control over the strait, which was an open international waterway before the war, but has seen traffic reduced to a trickle. Trump has reiterated his public opposition to tolls being charged. “I’m not going to let them charge,” Trump said on Monday. “Anybody’s going to charge, we’ll charge.” U.S. and Iranian officials say progress is being made Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tuesday that Tehran’s talks with Oman were focused on “establishing safe inbound and outbound shipping lanes,” routes that “uphold sovereign rights while also addressing the national security considerations of both Iran and Oman.” “The final results of these negotiations will be announced once concluded,” he added, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed progress had been made in those talks -- but said they were not final. Rubio has previously ruled out any deal that would give Iran control over the strait, saying last month that would create a “very dangerous precedent.” Attacks on shipping continue Even as hopes increased that a deal on the Strait of Hormuz could be imminent, attacks on shipping in the region continued. The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels claimed Wednesday they had fired ballistic missiles toward a Saudi oil tanker called the Wafa in the Red Sea. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Houthis, said in a prerecorded statement that the vessel was targeted off the Saudi port city of Yanbu. He didn’t provide evidence. There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia. The attack is part of a recent escalation between the rebels and Saudi Arabia that threatened to reignite Yemen’s civil war, which pitted the Houthis against a Saudi-led coalition supporting the country’s government. In July, the Houthis announced they were closing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that leads to the Red Sea for Saudi-linked shipping. That puts additional pressure on international shipping since the Red Sea became a key alternative route for Saudi oil exports during the war. On Tuesday, an Indian-flagged commercial ship sank in the Red Sea off Yemen after being struck by an explosive-laden boat, Yemeni and Indian authorities said. Yemen’s coast guard rescued the crew, which included 13 Indians and a Yemeni. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Earlier Tuesday, a cargo ship reported being “hit by an unknown projectile” about 37 kilometres (23 miles) northeast of the Omani port city of Al Khasab in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center. UN criticizes executions in Iran Separately, the United Nations’ human rights chief, Volker Turk, criticized what he said was an increase in executions and death sentences in Iran since March. Turk said capital punishment is being used to instill fear and suppress dissent. At least 56 people have been executed since March 19, he said, including 27 who were convicted in cases linked to anti-government protests that occurred across the country at the start of the year. Turk said that more than 100 more were at risk of execution on similar charges. “Persistent lack of fair trial and due process guarantees are deeply troubling,” Turk said, alleging that confessions have been obtained under torture and ill-treatment, while saying some executions have reportedly been carried out in public and some only weeks after the suspect was arrested. ___ Elena Becatoros, Samy Magdy and Darlene Superville, The Associated Press Becatoros contributed from Athens and Superville contributed from Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Amer Madhani and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
