Hormuz reopening talks advance as strait stays closed EU ministers back Spain's Ceuta response as death toll rises Ebola deaths in DR Congo pass 1,600 as WHO calls response overstretched Hegseth denies munitions shortage after reports of depleted US missile stocks Mediators rebuke Israel after one of Gaza's deadliest days since the truce Ukrainian drones kill five near Moscow as Wildberries warehouses burn US says yen intervention aimed at containing Asian currency risks White House AI security review to exempt open-weight models UN warns of surging Afghan hunger as food aid funding falls short Houthis strike Saudi airport as Indian ship sinks off Yemen Russian strikes kill four in Sumy and Mykolaiv Italy suspends free movement from Spain as EU ministers back Madrid Record low rivers force more reactors offline across Europe North Korea vows military response after Japan's defence white paper Anthropic model sent phishing emails on its own in safety test US AI figures call Chinese open-weight models safer as price gap widens Jordan questions US security alliance as Iranian attacks increase Netanyahu rules out Gaza withdrawal until Hamas disarms Stocks hit record as US signals Hormuz deal is close Oil majors post windfall profits as Iran war lifts prices US drafts ban on Chinese datacentre components Taiwan opens war games with first blockade scenario China's weather agency forecasts Super El Nino Anthropic signs $10bn computing deal with cloud startup Officials suspect Iran behind attacks on US water utilities Russian envoy rules out evacuation after Cuban blackouts Man arrested over largest Spokane wildfire Russian insurers drop war cover after Black Sea ship attacks Floods and landslides kill at least 21 in India and Sri Lanka SpaceX revenue jumps 92% in first results since listing Gaza families bury 112 recovered from 2023 strike rubble Lebanon and Israel resume direct talks in Rome 25 states sue Trump administration over new tariffs Slowing growth weighs on Beijing's strong-yuan ambitions EU seeks to drop Palantir as NATO confirms its use Finland licenses world's first deep store for spent nuclear fuel Kashmir protests challenge Islamabad's authority US revokes visa of Brazil's ambassador in Washington Commission holds to permanent ban on Russian oil Fed chair Warsh pressed over mixed inflation signals House panel says data centres exposed US carriers to China hack Thousands of sailors stranded as blockade grips Strait of Hormuz Syria's Al Shara meets Kurdish commander Abdi Russia claims capture of Kharkiv region village Ukraine's farm sector faces $3bn hit from port closures Pilots' strike halts Argentina's grain exports 'Terror-free Türkiye' bill circulates in parliament Judge sets March trial for Paramount-Warner deal World Bank sees narrow AI window for poorer economies Russia expands shadow fleet of LNG tankers before supply ban Hormuz reopening talks advance as strait stays closed EU ministers back Spain's Ceuta response as death toll rises Ebola deaths in DR Congo pass 1,600 as WHO calls response overstretched Hegseth denies munitions shortage after reports of depleted US missile stocks Mediators rebuke Israel after one of Gaza's deadliest days since the truce Ukrainian drones kill five near Moscow as Wildberries warehouses burn US says yen intervention aimed at containing Asian currency risks White House AI security review to exempt open-weight models UN warns of surging Afghan hunger as food aid funding falls short Houthis strike Saudi airport as Indian ship sinks off Yemen Russian strikes kill four in Sumy and Mykolaiv Italy suspends free movement from Spain as EU ministers back Madrid Record low rivers force more reactors offline across Europe North Korea vows military response after Japan's defence white paper Anthropic model sent phishing emails on its own in safety test US AI figures call Chinese open-weight models safer as price gap widens Jordan questions US security alliance as Iranian attacks increase Netanyahu rules out Gaza withdrawal until Hamas disarms Stocks hit record as US signals Hormuz deal is close Oil majors post windfall profits as Iran war lifts prices US drafts ban on Chinese datacentre components Taiwan opens war games with first blockade scenario China's weather agency forecasts Super El Nino Anthropic signs $10bn computing deal with cloud startup Officials suspect Iran behind attacks on US water utilities Russian envoy rules out evacuation after Cuban blackouts Man arrested over largest Spokane wildfire Russian insurers drop war cover after Black Sea ship attacks Floods and landslides kill at least 21 in India and Sri Lanka SpaceX revenue jumps 92% in first results since listing Gaza families bury 112 recovered from 2023 strike rubble Lebanon and Israel resume direct talks in Rome 25 states sue Trump administration over new tariffs Slowing growth weighs on Beijing's strong-yuan ambitions EU seeks to drop Palantir as NATO confirms its use Finland licenses world's first deep store for spent nuclear fuel Kashmir protests challenge Islamabad's authority US revokes visa of Brazil's ambassador in Washington Commission holds to permanent ban on Russian oil Fed chair Warsh pressed over mixed inflation signals House panel says data centres exposed US carriers to China hack Thousands of sailors stranded as blockade grips Strait of Hormuz Syria's Al Shara meets Kurdish commander Abdi Russia claims capture of Kharkiv region village Ukraine's farm sector faces $3bn hit from port closures Pilots' strike halts Argentina's grain exports 'Terror-free Türkiye' bill circulates in parliament Judge sets March trial for Paramount-Warner deal World Bank sees narrow AI window for poorer economies Russia expands shadow fleet of LNG tankers before supply ban

Symbolic image: Hormuz reopening talks advance as strait stays closed

Symbolic image

Hormuz reopening talks advance as strait stays closed

14 sources

US, Qatari and Omani officials say a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz could come within days, with draft language circulating. The waterway was still shut to shipping on Tuesday, day 158 of the US-Iran war.

What happened

Under the emerging scheme ships would enter the Gulf on an Iranian-controlled route and exit via one controlled by Oman.
Regional officials told AP any agreement would be tied to lifting the US blockade on Iran's ports.
A memorandum signed in mid-June collapsed in July, when ships crossed near Oman without Iranian approval and Iran attacked them.
Britain's UKMTO reported a cargo ship hit by an unidentified projectile off Oman on Monday night, without naming the vessel.
Oil fell 2% on Tuesday, 4 August, Brent below $80; Hormuz carried a fifth of world oil and LNG.

The view from outside

Bloomberg reports Iran is weighing letting European forces clear mines in the strait, a step neither side has confirmed publicly. The American Conservative points to Reuters reporting that the US has used virtually all its long-range precision missiles and about half its Tomahawks.

What could happen next

Tolls stay unresolved: Bessent did not rule out an Iranian fee, saying only there would be "freedom of movement".
Regional officials say talks continue and the final agreement could take a different form.
Qatar and Pakistan are separately trying to restore the mid-June ceasefire memorandum.
Attacks continue: the Houthis said they struck Najran airport in Saudi Arabia, the IRGC reportedly hit a US base in Kuwait.

How the camps see it

United States: Treasury Secretary Bessent said a deal to open the strait was possible "today or tomorrow", while Secretary of State Rubio cited progress "but not finality yet".
Iran: Denies any negotiations with Washington and says it talks only to Oman, demanding control of all inbound traffic, oversight of outbound traffic and service fees.

Also involved

OmanQatari and Pakistani mediators