Iran says Oman deal on Hormuz shipping lanes in final stages

Iran said on Sunday that an agreement with Oman defining new shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz is in its final stages, but reiterated that the waterway will only reopen once the United States meets other conditions.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the deal was in the "final stages" and would set out the new lanes to be used once the strait is reopened. However, he repeated that Tehran would not reopen the waterway unless other conditions are met.

Araqchi said Iran and the US are not engaged in talks, and Tehran will not start them as long as Washington breaches an interim deal signed in June. Messages are being exchanged via intermediaries, he added.

Iran is seeking US compensation for widespread attacks, an end to threats, the lifting of a blockade and sanctions, and the freeing of Iranian assets. The secretary of Iran's top national security body, Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, also listed stopping aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq.

The United States began air strikes on Iran in late February and agreed a ceasefire in June. Washington reimposed a blockade on Iranian shipping in the Gulf in July, which Tehran said violated the truce.

A US official said on Friday that an agreement between Iran and Oman was close and could soon reopen the waterway, which carried a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before Iran blocked it. The official said the US would lift the blockade of Iranian ports once the deal is announced, with US actions tied to Iran's implementation of its commitments.

The latest status of the agreement was not clear, and Iran's response suggested other factors would also come into play.

Separately, the United Arab Emirates said on Saturday that Iran had attacked a ship affiliated to its state oil company. There was no immediate comment from Iran.

In a related development, Yemen's Houthi group said they had attacked Saudi Aramco's Jazan refinery on Sunday. The Saudi energy ministry said a fire had broken out at the refinery but was later extinguished with no injuries. The Houthis, who have declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, used a drone to target the refinery, according to military spokesperson Yahya Saree.

The attack came two days after Saudi Arabia signed a defence pact with Turkey and Pakistan. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the new alliance was not directed against Iran or any other country, but rather served as a general pledge to support security.