Military ships may be banned in strait
Potential deal between Iran, Oman would restrict passage
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Iran won't allow military vessels to transit through the Strait of Hormuz under an agreement that the Islamic Republic is negotiating with Oman, Iran's deputy foreign minister said.
The top diplomats of the two countries met to discuss managing commercial shipping traffic in the vital waterway, which remains largely shut down nearly six months after the Iran war began.
No military vessels in the strait, Iran says
Iran and Oman have reached a potential agreement for managing ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz that would exclude military vessels from traversing the vital waterway.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told state television late Tuesday that commercial shipping traffic into the Persian Gulf would pass through Iranian waters, while the outbound route would pass partly through Iranian waters and partly through Oman's waters.
He said the routes would be temporary, and that Iran and Oman must discuss a permanent maritime traffic plan within 30 to 60 days. U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman if it "gets in the way," as his administration opposes parts of the evolving deal.
Qatar's prime minister heads to Iran
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani is expected in Tehran on Thursday for talks with Iranian officials on "ways to de-escalate tensions & create the conditions conducive to dialogue," Qatar's Foreign Ministry said on X.
The discussions, confirmed by Tehran, will also address "freedom of navigation" in the Strait of Hormuz and the need to return to the pre-war status quo, according to Majed Al Ansari, an agency spokesperson.
Trump not in hurry to resume talks
The U.S. president told Al Jazeera over the phone on Wednesday that he believes the United States is "winning very big" as the conflict with Iran nears the six-month mark.
"I have no time schedule; whatever it takes," he told the Qatar-based broadcaster.
In another interview Wednesday, Trump said he thinks Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Motjaba Khamenei, is "very seriously wounded," but not dead.
Motjaba Khamenei became supreme leader after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed at the start of the war. The younger Khamenei was badly wounded in the attacks and has remained out of public view.
Israel launches fatal strike in Gaza
An Israeli strike on a tent for displaced people on Wednesday in southern Gaza killed one person and wounded at least four, the territory's Health Ministry officials said. The Israeli military said that it struck a "military operative," without elaborating.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have reported a surge in deadly Israeli strikes, despite a fragile ceasefire in the nearly three-year Israel-Hamas war. Israel
has said that it targets Hamas and other militants.