• Tehran says ‘geographical coordinates of route’ agreed upon, joint statement expected soon
• Oil prices fall after rising amid Houthi attacks on Saudi oil tankers
• Trump claims successful ‘day-long talks’ with Tehran
• Report says Iran ‘warned of targeting energy installations in Gulf’ if US renewed attacks

TEHRAN / WASHINGTON: Iran and Oman have agreed a route for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz and are putting the final touches on arrangements for jointly managing the waterway, Iran’s foreign ministry said.

Oil prices edged lower on Wednesday after ticking higher following the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen saying it had fired on a Saudi-flagged tanker in the Red Sea, the latest attack on Middle East shipping that has disrupted global energy supplies.

But official sources briefing Iranian media stressed that any reopening of the strait would depend on the United States fulfilling what Tehran sees as its commitment to end its own naval blockade of Iran’s ports.

“The geographical coordinates of the route envisaged by the two sides have been agreed upon and, if certain third parties do not obstruct the process, the joint statement of the two countries, containing the main considerations and points of agreement, is also in the final review and drafting stage,” spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said.

According to the state-run IRNA news agency, Baqaei told journalists that talks with Oman were moving forward, but that even if an understanding was reached, it would not mean that the strait had become safe for all passing vessels.

“The factors making the Strait of Hormuz insecure still exist on the part of the United States, particularly the naval blockade and other aggressive and threatening actions against Iran and its interests,” he said.

After imposing an effective blockade on the strait, Iran has insisted ships take a route that hugs the Iranian coast.

Many vessels have instead chosen to take a southern route, close to Oman on the opposite side of the strait, occasionally coming under fire.

The proposed deal could give Tehran control over ships entering the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz.

Although US officials have repeatedly said that they would never accept any arrangement that lets Iran control access to the world’s most important trade route for energy supplies, it seems that this was one of the biggest concessions yet to Iran.

President Donald Trump had claimed there was an “all-day negotiation” on Tuesday with Iran, characterising the talks positively while also threatening to hit Iran “really hard” if a deal with Tehran was not reached.

Trump told Fox News the two sides were having very good discussions. The Strait of Hormuz “is going to be open very soon,” Trump said. “If they back out again, they are going to get hit really hard.”

However, Reuters quoted regional sources as saying that there were still details to be determined about how “control” would be defined, with Gulf negotiators insisting regional countries supervise inspections of ships, and that any payment of fees be voluntary.

The senior Iranian source said the text of an agreement already on the table envisioned Iran having control of ships heading into the Gulf through the strait, and one of the main sticking points was what role Iran would also have over ships heading in the opposite direction.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said later in comments to IRNA: “A significant portion of this new route is located in Iranian territorial waters, and a part of it is in Omani territorial waters. “It is designed in such a way that commercial ships will pass through Iranian territorial waters, both on the inbound and outbound legs of their journey.”

He said the talks with Oman had “reached fundamental understandings” on issues including the map of the routes for the entry and exit of maritime traffic. “This progress is on the verge of being finalised.”

Iran warns Gulf states

In a separate development, the Reuters news agency reported that Tehran had warned several Gulf states that any new US attack on its territory would trigger retaliation against critical energy infrastructure across the region.

The warning was delivered through a flurry of high-level diplomatic contacts after President Donald Trump threatened on July 28 to strike Iran’s energy network and infrastructure, sources said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with his Saudi, Turkish and Qatari counterparts, as well as a top Pakistani official, the report said.

Araghchi urged Washington’s Gulf allies to use their influence with Trump to dissuade him from launching renewed strikes, the senior diplomat said, warning that any attack on Iran would prompt retaliation against US assets and energy facilities across the Gulf.

“We’re ready to retaliate, but finding a diplomatic solution is the best way to avoid wider escalation and destruction across the region,” sources quoted the Iranian foreign minister as saying.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman subsequently spoke with Trump, urging him to delay military action, return to negotiations, secure a ceasefire and pursue a diplomatic settlement, the senior diplomat and Gulf sources said.

Houthi attack

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed to have attacked two of Riyadh’s oil tankers, taking the total number of Saudi ships targeted since the start of the blockade to nine.

The group “successfully targeted the Saudi oil tanker Wafa in the northern Red Sea, off the coast of Yanbu, with a number of ballistic missiles”, spokesperson Yahya Saree said, in a video statement.

In a later statement, Saree said the rebels targeted the “Saudi oil tanker Daisy in the Gulf of Aden with a ballistic missile”, referring to the waterway that connects to the Red Sea. Saudi authorities had no immediate comment on the report.

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2026