Pakistan Says US and Iran Close to ‘Some Sort’ of Deal

TDT | Manama

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Pakistan said Tuesday that the United States and Iran may be nearing an agreement, while Qatar said separate Oman-Iran talks on managing the Strait of Hormuz had reached an advanced stage, despite fresh attacks on commercial shipping.

Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif told Bloomberg News that recent signals indicated the two sides were “close to some sort of an arrangement,” adding that the situation was again moving toward a peace deal.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran on Tuesday, according to Araghchi’s Telegram channel.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said talks between Oman and Iran over managing the Strait of Hormuz were at an “advanced stage.” Iran has said it was nearing a final agreement with Oman on new shipping lanes through the strategic waterway but warned that the route would not fully reopen unless Washington met certain conditions.

Those conditions include compensation, an end to sanctions and an end to military threats, according to Iran. Araghchi said Tehran and Washington were not holding direct talks but were exchanging messages through intermediaries.

The developments come as the conflict continues to disrupt a waterway that previously carried around one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.

Despite diplomatic efforts, maritime attacks were also reported. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement attacked a small cargo vessel in the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait, killing four crew members, Yemen’s Transport Ministry said.

Separately, a container ship was reportedly struck off Pakistan in the Gulf of Oman in a suspected US attack. The Wall Street Journal reported that a US military helicopter hit the vessel after its crew allegedly ignored warnings linked to the US naval blockade on Iranian ports.