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booksellers suspect AI firms behind bulk ordersEtna alert lowered as Catania airport reopensFuneral held for Indigenous girl whose death sparked outback riotsIran rejects US claim to Hormuz as ship attacks mount600 drones head for Moscow as Russia strikes Kyiv and Kryvyi RihDeath toll passes 50 after magnitude 7.7 quake off FloresIsraeli strikes kill 11 in south Lebanon, deadliest since June truceColombia asks Trump to suspend tariffs as quake toll climbsRhine hits record low at Kaub as Hungary sinks barges to cool reactorUS readies unprecedented economic measures against IranUS boat strikes pass 200 dead as Ecuadorean fishermen describe attacksBond traders struggle to price $70bn of credit backstops behind AI buildoutAlibaba says its open AI models passed three billion downloadsDeath toll rises to 68 after Lake Kariba ferry sinkingTaliban mark five years in power as UN warns of rights crisisEU aircraft join fight against Belgium's record wildfireUS presses Netanyahu over settlers as Qusra homes are occupiedMokha port halts operations as Houthi missiles hit MaribSeoul proposes talks to end the Korean war as North rejects drillsChina-led perovskite solar plant outperforms silicon in three-month field testOpenAI revenue run rate passes $40bn as revenue chief departsHamas leader in Cairo as Kushner trip nearsWHO says Congo's Ebola outbreak is outpacing the responseTurkish parliament passes amnesty law for PKK membersMorocco detains scores near Ceuta as feared mass crossing fails to materialiseChina publishes ecology reports to bolster South China Sea claimsMyanmar says more than 300,000 Rohingya verified for repatriationPetrobras detects signs of oil off the mouth of the AmazonChina condemns Japanese politicians' moves at Yasukuni ShrineUS inflation cools as wages again lag behind pricesModi offers free exam coaching after youth protests in IndiaOil from grounded Russian tanker reaches Oman's coastPanama Canal cuts draught again as Mexico pitches rival corridorUkraine's idle ports cost $1.75bn as farm exports fallFormer Chinese premier Zhu Rongji diesAt least 20 killed in communal clashes in central NigeriaIran accuses Qatar of holding three of its pilotsXi calls for shift to prevention as floods batter ChinaVenezuela frees 131 more political prisonersMore Syrians in Germany lose refugee protectionAudit finds gaps in Taiwan's counter-drone defencesIndia drafts rules to open nuclear power to private firmsHichilema takes early lead as Zambian count resumesParis prosecutors open investigation into tax portal hackReport details leverage behind Situational Awareness lossesArgentina has lost 30,633 companies under MileiAt least five dead in Indiana floodingIran detains two French diplomats over alleged infiltrationCanadian petition to expel US ambassador passes 170,000 signaturesIndia raises $50bn from its diaspora and ends swap facility earlyOpaque start-ups build erotic AI industry from Cyprus and MaltaBritain's biggest EV battery plant shelves expansion as Jaguar Land Rover talks stallThird drone debris find in a day on Turkish coastsForecasters put 95 percent odds on a very strong El NiñoSecondhand booksellers suspect AI firms behind bulk ordersEtna alert lowered as Catania airport reopensFuneral held for Indigenous girl whose death sparked outback riots
Bota
Symbolic image: Iran and Oman near Hormuz deal that would bar US and Israeli shipsSymbolic image

Iran and Oman near Hormuz deal that would bar US and Israeli ships

10 sources

Iran said on Wednesday its talks with Oman on reopening the Strait of Hormuz had reached their final stages. Reports on Friday say the draft would bar US and Israeli vessels and charge hostile states for passage.

What happened

  • Iran's foreign ministry said both sides agreed geographic coordinates for navigation routes after two months of negotiations.
  • The draft reportedly routes outbound traffic through Omani waters, while inbound ships would hug the Iranian coast.
  • The strait has been effectively closed since the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February.
  • US Central Command said on Thursday its blockade continues: 49 commercial vessels redirected, two disabled, two boarded.
  • Crude traded around 80 dollars a barrel on Thursday, down from above 100 dollars two weeks earlier.

The view from outside

The South China Morning Post notes that few US- or Israeli-flagged commercial ships operate globally, leaving open how broadly Tehran would apply such a ban, and quotes a former State Department official as saying both sides are raising demands rather than conceding. FAZ cites analysts warning that headlines, not fundamentals, are currently setting the oil price.

What could happen next

  • Fees remain unresolved: Iranian officials describe a service fee, US officials say no tolls during the 60-day grace period.
  • A former Israeli air force commander told 103FM Iran seeks about 7 percent commission, Oman 3 percent, Washington none.
  • Tehran promised a joint statement with Oman; a White House announcement planned for Wednesday, reported by Axios, did not happen.
  • Houthi attacks on Saudi tankers continue, the group claiming an eighth and ninth vessel since its blockade began last month.
How the camps see it

  • Iran: Says the strait is closed because of US and Israeli aggression, asserts control over entering traffic, and makes reopening conditional on the US lifting its blockade.

  • Oman: Negotiates joint management of the waterway and, according to Israeli radio, presses for a lower transit fee than Tehran demands.

  • United States: Says the Navy-led blockade controls the strait, rejects any payment for passage, and calls Iran's account of the emerging deal inaccurate.

Also involved

Israeli commentary

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