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tightens sanctionsHaitians face arrest and deportation as US ends TPS protectionsCopper heads for record close as US and China compete for supplyIsraeli troops withdraw from Qalandiya camp after two-day raidHalf of England and all of Wales in drought after driest July on recordTyphoon Dolphin forces almost 260,000 to evacuate in southern JapanCanada offers concessions to avert 50 percent US tariffsUS reviews Chinese access to Nvidia chips in offshore data centresEU presses Meta and TikTok as Spain and Morocco reinforce CeutaFAA orders crack inspections on about 470 Boeing 737 MAX jetsUS urges Israel to ease Lebanon tensions as Rome talks continueChina vows countermeasures over Philippine actions at Scarborough ShoalIndia's nuclear-armed submarine accelerates arms race with PakistanSpain imposes border checks on travellers from Italy in Schengen rowPezeshkian rejects resignation calls as war promises go unmetMeta ordered to pay $567 million over harm to young usersSaudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan sign mutual defence pactAdnoc reports 15 ships hit in Hormuz as Iranian oil exports stallUS says Hormuz reopening deal is close as Iran presses for transit tollsWHO urges Ervebo trial as Congo's Ebola cases pass 4,000US economy sheds 23,000 jobs as hiring figures are revised downThree killed in strikes on Kyiv suburb as Russian forces press toward SlovianskHouthi strikes on Yemeni army camps spill over into Saudi ArabiaUN index puts global food prices at a three-year highOpenAI halts part of Astra development as Chinese model escapes UK sandboxBrain injuries dominate as Iranian strikes wound nearly 700 US troopsAI models design working bacteriophage genomesUS Senate passes Russia and Iran sanctions billUS intelligence links Russia to explosive drone at Leipzig airportIsraeli ministers press to resume Gaza offensiveTop US commander seeks off-ramp from Iran warStudent opens fire at Thai school, killing at least fiveChina's exports jump almost a quarter in JulyUN warns Sudan's war is closing schools for millionsUkraine halts Black Sea farm exports after strikes on OdesaDe la Espriella sworn in as Colombia's presidentUkrainian drones hit Wildberries warehouse deep inside RussiaChina's rare-earth exports fall as Beijing expands Bayan Obo mineOil falls on Hormuz hopes as gold ends week higherUS intelligence warns Russia may provoke NATOTrump signs orders restricting birthright citizenshipIran's nuclear programme slowed but not stopped, assessment findsTrump unveils minerals and battery deals to counter ChinaUS long-range missile stocks run low as Trump denies shortageSK Hynix to invest $38 billion in chip capacityYen gives back half its gains after US-Japan interventionChina overtakes US in research spendingVenezuela's government and opposition meet under US mediationUS-Saudi nuclear deal raises proliferation questionsTrump renews bid to fire Fed governor Lisa Cook after court setbackCuba paralysed by total blackouts as Washington tightens sanctionsHaitians face arrest and deportation as US ends TPS protectionsCopper heads for record close as US and China compete for supplyIsraeli troops withdraw from Qalandiya camp after two-day raidHalf of England and all of Wales in drought after driest July on recordTyphoon Dolphin forces almost 260,000 to evacuate in southern JapanCanada offers concessions to avert 50 percent US tariffsUS reviews Chinese access to Nvidia chips in offshore data centresEU presses Meta and TikTok as Spain and Morocco reinforce CeutaFAA orders crack inspections on about 470 Boeing 737 MAX jetsUS urges Israel to ease Lebanon tensions as Rome talks continueChina vows countermeasures over Philippine actions at Scarborough ShoalIndia's nuclear-armed submarine accelerates arms race with PakistanSpain imposes border checks on travellers from Italy in Schengen rowPezeshkian rejects resignation calls as war promises go unmetMeta ordered to pay $567 million over harm to young users
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Symbolic image: US says Hormuz reopening deal is close as Iran presses for transit tollsSymbolic image

US says Hormuz reopening deal is close as Iran presses for transit tolls

6 sources

A US official said on Friday that Washington expects an Iran-Oman agreement to reopen commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz within days. Whether Iran may charge passing ships remains unresolved.

What happened

  • Axios reported on Friday, 7 August, that Iran's Supreme National Security Council still has to approve the text.
  • Iran's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that Tehran and Muscat had agreed the geographic details of the shipping route.
  • The framework runs 60 days: inbound ships use the corridor nearest Iran, outbound ships the one nearest Oman, a senior official told Al Arabiya.
  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio reported progress on Tuesday; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke on Friday of a 30 to 60 day ceasefire.
  • Trump left a State Department roundtable early on Friday, saying he had a war to lead.

The view from outside

The National (UAE) quotes maritime experts, including RUSI's Petras Katinas, warning that any toll would break UNCLOS "innocent passage" and let other states charge in the Turkish, Danish or Bering straits. The Guardian reports Tehran is stretching the timetable: deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi told IRNA that nuclear talks would follow only two to four months after the shipping route is settled.

What could happen next

  • No signing date is set; the Supreme National Security Council's approval is the last step named by the mediators.
  • Iran is seeking sanctions relief in exchange for toll-free passage, sources told The National.
  • Washington calls its steps "performance-based", leaving open when the blockade of Iranian ports actually ends.
  • Gharibabadi's sequence, sanctions relief, unfrozen assets, non-belligerence pledges, would run past November's midterms.
How the camps see it

  • Iran: Tehran wants a recognised role in managing traffic through the strait plus a service fee, and treats sanctions relief and an end to the port blockade as conditions before nuclear talks.

  • United States: Washington expects a deal soon and says it will lift the blockade of Iranian ports once unimpeded commercial shipping resumes, with each further step tied to Iranian implementation.

  • Oman: Muscat is mediating and would jointly oversee the strait's shipping corridors under the interim arrangement.

Also involved

Gulf and shipping interests

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