Pakistan Sees Progress on US-Iran Deal

According to Pakistan, the United States and Iran are moving closer to a possible agreement that could help end the current stalemate over the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, Qatar announced that negotiations between Oman and Iran on arrangements for the strategic maritime route are at an advanced stage.

Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said signals from recent days indicate that “some sort of arrangement” is taking shape. Pakistan and Qatar are among the main mediators in the conflict between the US and Iran.

The Strait of Hormuz remains a key point in the negotiations. Before the outbreak of the war, approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed through it. Iran says it is finalizing an agreement with Oman on new maritime arrangements, but is making the opening of the strait contingent on Washington meeting its demands, including compensation and an end to sanctions and military threats.

Donald Trump, on the other hand, is demanding compensation from Tehran for damage and casualties linked to Iran over the past decades.

These diplomatic signals come despite ongoing incidents at sea. According to Yemeni authorities, four crew members were killed in a suspected Houthi attack on a cargo ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Separately, a Panama-flagged ship was fired on by a US military helicopter in the Gulf of Oman after allegedly attempting to breach the US blockade of Iran.

(Reuters, MJA)