Iran says deal on Strait of Hormuz is close but not enough to open the waterway
Iran said on Saturday that a deal with Oman on control of the Strait of Hormuz was close but would not be enough to free up the waterway, and the United Arab Emirates said Iran had hit another ship there.Agreement between Iran and Oman over the strait is seen as vital to a wider deal to end the war that began with US and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28 and led to Tehran establishing a chokehold over the major energy export route.A US official, who declined to be identified, said on Friday that Washington anticipated an agreement soon between Iran and Oman, which sit on either side of the strait, so normal oil traffic could resume.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran and Oman were "very close" to an agreement on a new shipping route through the strait, but that reopening it would depend on other conditions, including U.S. compensation to Iran.The secretary of Iran's top national security body, Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, listed other demands including ending U.S. threats against Iran, stopping aggression against Iran and its Lebanese, Palestinian, Yemeni and Iraqi allies, lifting a blockade and sanctions on Iran and freeing Iranian assets.UAE says Iran targeted tankerThe UAE accused Iran on Saturday of targeting a tanker belonging to its state-owned oil firm in the Strait of Hormuz.
The foreign ministry condemned what it called a “hostile Iranian attack that targeted a tanker belonging to ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) with a missile while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz, without causing casualties”Leaking tanker sinking deeperSatellite images show that a sanctioned tanker carrying nearly a million barrels of oil appears to be increasingly submerged in water off the coast of Oman, where it has been grounded for weeks, while leaking ever more oil into the surrounding sea.
The 247-metre Caroline Bezengi is believed to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” and the crew had reported an explosion.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.