As President Donald Trump’s war with Iran stretches on, negotiations over control of the Strait of Hormuz may be poised to give Iran a major concession.

A senior Middle East diplomat with direct knowledge of the talks between Iran and Oman told MS NOW on Tuesday that the U.S. and Europe are placing a great deal of pressure on Oman to accept a temporary agreement with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 

The senior Middle East diplomat told MS NOW on Monday that the current version of the temporary agreement, if finalized, would give Iran temporary control of both the inward and outward routes ships would use to sail through the strait.

“The discussions are focused on an inward route through the Strait of Hormuz that is entirely through Iranian territorial waters,” the senior Middle East diplomat told MS NOW, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive discussions.

“The outward route is largely through Omani territorial water, but there’s a section of it through Iranian water, and because of that section, temporary control will be with Iran,” the diplomat said.

A document laying out terms for reopening the strait is “close to being finalized,” a Pakistan official told MS NOW.

The recent talks between Iran and Oman are being mediated by Pakistan, which hosted a round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran in April that failed to bring an end to the conflict.

The U.S. is involved in the current talks “indirectly,” the Pakistan official said, and there are “no immediate plans” for more direct talks between U.S. and Iran.

But mediators from Qatar and Pakistan are working towards bringing U.S. and Iranian negotiators back in direct contact, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe the talks. 

The Pakistan official also emphasized that Iran wants to finalize the issue around the Strait of Hormuz before negotiations continue on other matters.

Experts cautioned that it is difficult to evaluate the agreement until final details are made public. But they said the arrangement described by the diplomat would likely give Tehran greater control of the strategic waterway than it had before the war — something the Trump administration has vowed to prevent. 

“It sounds like they would be thrilled,” said George Perkovich, a nuclear nonproliferation expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “That’s the leverage they need given their doubts that the U.S. will fulfill its end of any deal.”

Oman and Iran flank either side of what, during peacetime, is a key transit route for one-fifth of the world’s oil shipments.

Oman has long acted as a neutral mediator between the United States and Iran. But that role was strained in May when Trump threatened to “blow them up” and accused Oman and Iran of discussing charging fees for passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have previously said that Iran must not gain greater control of the strait than it had before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. Rubio, in particular, has insisted that the Strait of Hormuz must remain an open international waterway not controlled by Iran or any other nation.

Rubio, speaking to reporters Tuesday at the State Department, said that there has been “progress made” in the talk regarding the strait but “not finality yet.” He also said the reopening of the strait would create a pathway for subsequent negotiations between Iran and the U.S. regarding Tehran’s nuclear program.

“There is a conversation and a negotiation that we are involved in between Oman and Iran on how more ships can be able to go through there safely in the short term,” Rubio said, “as we move towards these longer-term talks about denuclearization.”  

In a CNBC interview on Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. is “in talks with the Iranians” and predicted a temporary agreement between Iran and Oman to reopen the strait could be reached soon. 

“There is a chance we may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the Strait,” Bessent said Tuesday, “and move towards a more normalized position in this conflict.”

But a senior Iranian official told MS NOW that Bessent’s statement about negotiations between Iran and the U.S. was incorrect. “His claim is false,” said the official, who was granted anonymity to describe closed-door talks. “We are currently engaged in negotiations with the Sultanate of Oman to establish a joint monitoring mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz.”

The Iranian official said Tehran has been assured by Omani officials that the U.S. is ready to support a solution worked out in the talks between Oman and Iran.

“The Omani side has indicated that the United States will respect any potential mutual understanding reached between Iran and Oman concerning the Strait, with a view to ensuring its security,” the Iranian official said. “To date, we have not permitted any American involvement in regional decisions or negotiations related to the Strait of Hormuz.”

Perkovich, who observed nuclear negotiations with Iran by previous U.S. administrations, said he was doubtful that the Trump administration, given its struggle to reopen the strait, will be able to force Tehran to make major concessions regarding its nuclear program beyond those made in the prior nuclear deal with the U.S. and the U.N. Security Council in 2015.

“I don’t see it,” he said.

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From MS Now.