Iran says Hormuz route agreed with Oman

What happened

• Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told IRNA a joint Iran-Oman statement is in final drafting, if third parties do not obstruct.
• Oman had not publicly confirmed any agreement as of Wednesday, 5 August, Le Monde reported.
• Iran has controlled the waterway since the US and Israel began strikes on 28 February, and closed it again in early July.
• Washington has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports; before the war a fifth of global hydrocarbon trade passed the strait.
• Trump phoned Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Tuesday, 4 August; Doha says a draft resolution reached both sides.

The view from outside

Le Monde, citing Axios, describes inbound ships using a northern lane in Iranian waters and outbound ships a southern lane in Omani-controlled waters without tolls, with the middle lane demined for 60 days. FAZ reports Tehran presents the Oman track as a bridge to reviving the June memorandum with Washington, which collapsed a month later over who controls shipping.

What could happen next

• Muscat's signature, the text of the joint statement and its timing remain unannounced.
• Open whether Washington endorses a route that, per Reuters sources cited by the Guardian, would hand Tehran control of entering traffic.
• No date has been given for shipping to resume, and the US blockade of Iranian ports stays in place.
• Vance said on Fox News the talks would be complicated and take time.