The United States expects Iran and Oman to reach an agreement soon that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz to normal commercial shipping, a U.S. official said on Friday, as three major Sunni Muslim powers signed a new mutual defence pact amid heightened regional tensions.
The U.S. official said progress had been made in negotiations between Iran and Oman over the strategic waterway, raising hopes that oil traffic disrupted by the five-month conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States could resume.
“There is progress between Oman and Iran on the strait, and we expect a deal soon,” the official told Reuters.
The official said Washington would lift its blockade of Iranian ports once an agreement restoring unhindered commercial shipping was announced, but stressed that U.S. measures would depend on Iran implementing its commitments.
A settlement over the Strait of Hormuz is viewed as a crucial component of wider efforts to halt the regional conflict.
Before the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption passed through the narrow waterway.
Since the conflict began, Iran has imposed charges on oil tankers and attacked vessels attempting to cross the strait without its approval, sharply disrupting energy shipments and contributing to higher global oil prices and inflation.
The Trump administration has repeatedly suggested in recent weeks that an agreement could be close, while Tehran has at times denied that negotiations were taking place, leaving uncertainty over whether the latest diplomatic push will produce a lasting settlement.
Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz have coincided with an escalation by Yemen’s Houthi movement, which has targeted vessels near the Bab al-Mandab Strait between the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company said on Friday that 15 of its vessels had been hit in what it described as unprovoked attacks while passing through the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict began.
The company said one crew member had been killed and 20 others wounded.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan sign mutual defence pact
Against the backdrop of the widening regional confrontation, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a joint defence agreement in Mecca on Friday aimed at strengthening collective deterrence.
Under the agreement, an armed attack against any one of the three countries would be considered an attack against all of them, according to a joint statement.
The pact brings together three U.S. allies with majority Sunni Muslim populations at a time when Iranian missile attacks have increasingly threatened Gulf states and their critical energy infrastructure.
Turkey said the agreement was defensive and was not directed at any particular country, although its signing comes amid sharply heightened tensions with Shiite-majority Iran.
The agreement represents a significant new security alignment linking Saudi Arabia, a leading Gulf power, with NATO member Turkey and nuclear-armed Pakistan.
Lebanon, Israel agree on Hezbollah verification mechanism
The United States is also trying to secure an end to fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
A Lebanese official said on Friday that Lebanon and Israel had agreed on a shortlist of countries that could contribute troops to verify Hezbollah’s disarmament under a U.S.-brokered arrangement.
Washington would select participating countries from the agreed list, the official said.
Iranian president defends negotiations
Washington and Tehran have not held direct high-level talks since U.S. Vice President JD Vance met Iranian officials in Switzerland in June.
That meeting followed a June 17 memorandum of understanding that outlined conditions for restarting oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and temporarily halted fighting.
Hostilities resumed on July 7 amid opposition to the agreement in both Iran and the United States, before another pause in military operations.
The U.S. military’s Central Command has reported no strikes on Iran since July 29.
Diplomatic efforts have also been complicated by signs of disagreement inside Iran between President Masoud Pezeshkian and more powerful institutions, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
In an interview with Iranian state television broadcast on Friday, Pezeshkian defended negotiations with Washington against criticism from hardliners and said most senior military commanders supported talks aimed at ending the conflict.
Pezeshkian argued that Iran should pursue its interests through diplomacy when possible, pointing to China’s relationship with the United States as an example of strategic competition that had not resulted in direct war.
The latest diplomatic activity comes as Washington attempts to contain several interconnected regional conflicts while restoring shipping through two of the world’s most important energy corridors.
