Pakistan said on Tuesday that the United States and Iran were close to “some sort” of peace deal, while Qatar said talks on managing the Strait of Hormuz had reached an advanced stage, raising hopes of a breakthrough despite fresh attacks on shipping in the region.
Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Bloomberg News
that recent signals suggested the two sides were moving towards an agreement.“Things are shaping up again in favor of a peace arrangement or a deal,” Asif said. “The signals in the last two three days are that we are close to some sort of an arrangement.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi also met Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran on Tuesday, according to Araqchi’s Telegram channel, although no details
of the meeting were given, Reuters reported.
Iran, Oman Near Hormuz Deal
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said separate talks between Oman and Iran on managing the Strait of Hormuz were at an advanced stage.
Iran said on Sunday that it was nearing a final agreement with Oman on new shipping lanes through the strait, but stressed that the waterway would not reopen unless the US met certain conditions.
Those demands include compensation, an end to sanctions and an end to military threats, according to Iran. Tehran and Washington are not holding direct talks, Araqchi said, but messages are being exchanged through intermediaries.
US President Donald Trump on Monday said he would seek compensation from Iran for damage caused over the past 50 years, adding another potential obstacle to a deal.
Fresh Attacks Raise Shipping Risks
Despite signs of diplomatic movement, fresh attacks on shipping underlined the risks facing regional trade.
Four crew members were killed in a suspected attack on an Egyptian-owned cargo vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, Yemen’s Transport Ministry said. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have not claimed responsibility.
A container ship was also hit by a missile off Pakistan while sailing through the Gulf of Oman, sources said. The Wall Street Journal reported that a US official said the vessel had been struck by a US military helicopter after its crew ignored warnings from personnel enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
The US first announced the blockade in April and reimposed it in July after a June peace deal collapsed. Meanwhile, the Houthis declared a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea on July 20, citing what they called a Saudi siege. Riyadh denies that Yemen is under siege.
(With inputs from Reuters)
