Pakistan says US, Iran close to Hormuz deal despite Trump's tough demands

Pakistan said the US and Iran are close to an arrangement as Iran and Oman push talks on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The parallel diplomacy has raised hopes for shipping to resume even as Donald Trump adds new demands and the wider standoff remains unresolved.

In Short

• Talks to reopen Strait of Hormuz show progress despite US-Iran tensions
• Pakistan Defence Minister says US and Iran nearing an arrangement
• Iran and Oman advance negotiations on shipping routes and maritime safety

Diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz appear to be gaining momentum despite increasingly hardline rhetoric from Washington and Tehran. Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the US and Iran are "close to some sort of arrangement" over the strait.

"Things are shaping up in favour of a peace arrangement or a deal," Asif told reporters in Islamabad on Tuesday, without providing details of any concrete breakthrough between Washington and Tehran. "The signals in the last two three days are that we are close to some sort of an arrangement," he added.

A potential breakthrough is emerging as separate talks between Iran and Oman over the reopening of the strait to maritime traffic reached an advanced stage. Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesperson also said on Tuesday that negotiations between Oman and Iran over the future of shipping through the waterway had entered an advanced phase. Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi has also arrived in Tehran to hold discussions with Iranian officials.

The series of developments stands in stark contrast to Trump's latest remarks, which appear to have added another hurdle to a wider US-Iran deal.

HORMUZ TALKS SHOW SIGNS OF PROGRESS

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said earlier on Monday that discussions with Oman were "progressing smoothly and constructively". He said the two sides had reached an agreement on a map outlining a shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz. He added that several technical matters were still being discussed.

The negotiations have also focused on services linked to maritime traffic. These include safe navigation, environmental protection, maritime services and efforts to combat crime in the waterway. The issue is particularly sensitive because Iran has sought arrangements that would give it a greater role in managing shipping through the strait. US have repeatedly rejected any agreement that would allow Tehran to impose fees on vessels using the waterway.

Iran, meanwhile, has maintained that the US must meet several conditions before the strait can be fully reopened. Tehran has demanded compensation, an end to sanctions and an end to military threats against Iran.

The dispute has left one of the world's most important energy corridors effectively blocked since the conflict began. Around one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed through the Strait of Hormuz before the war. The disruption has contributed to higher energy prices and added to inflationary pressures.

TRUMP RAISES NEW DEMANDS

Trump's Iran strategy has repeatedly swung between the threat of escalation and promises that a deal could be just around the corner. His latest intervention has tilted the balance back towards confrontation. Trump on Monday demanded that Iran pay compensation for deaths and damage tied to wars, attacks and protests over several decades.

"We're going to ask for money for the damage they've done over a 50-year period," Trump said at the White House. He said the payments should cover deaths among both civilian demonstrators involved in anti-regime protests and US forces in the region.

"So if there's damages to be paid, I think Iran should pay those damages," Trump said.

The demand was not part of earlier discussions and came after Tehran called for compensation as part of its conditions for a peace agreement. Trump also said Iran should compensate the families of 17 US sailors killed in the 2000 attack on the USS Cole in Yemen. The attack was blamed on al Qaeda, rather than Iran.

"Also, with respect to the Iran negotiations, Iran should be responsible for the damages and death caused to the people of Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza!" Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. His remarks threaten to widen the gap between Washington and Tehran as both sides seek to close their remaining differences.

TRUMP UNDER PRESSURE TO END WAR

The uncertainty surrounding the talks is adding to the pressure on Trump to bring the war to an end. The war has become increasingly unpopular in the US, according to several polls. Higher fuel prices have also emerged as a major concern, particularly in rural areas that have traditionally provided strong political support to Trump.

The pressure is growing ahead of the US midterm elections in November.

Despite the pressure, Trump has continued to project confidence over US control of the waterway. He repeated his claim on Monday that the Strait of Hormuz was open and said, "The only one that has control of the Strait of Hormuz right now is the United States Navy."

That assertion contrasts with the continuing negotiations between Iran and Oman over how commercial shipping could resume through the strait. US military operations, including a two-week campaign of strikes in July, have also failed to force Tehran to give up its leverage over the waterway.

IRAN RETAINS LEVERAGE OVER STRAIT

The current negotiations have created an unusual dynamic for Iran and the US. An agreement reached between Iran and Oman on shipping routes could give Tehran greater influence over the strait than it had before the conflict began. Iran has continued to use its military capabilities to pressure Washington and its regional allies. Tehran has launched missiles and drones at US partners in the region while also targeting commercial vessels attempting to transit the strait without Iranian permission.

Washington and Tehran had agreed to a ceasefire in June. The situation deteriorated after the US reimposed a blockade on Iranian shipping in July.

Iran condemned the move as a violation of the ceasefire and retaliated with further attacks. The standoff has since turned the Strait of Hormuz into one of the central pressure points in the wider conflict.

For Pakistan, the latest developments provide a diplomatic opening. Asif's comments indicate that Islamabad believes the opposing sides may still be able to find common ground despite the increasingly hardline public positions coming from Washington and Tehran.

- Ends
With inputs from agencies