TEHRAN: Iran on Sunday (Aug 2) said it was nearing a deal with Oman over a new route through the Strait of Hormuz, hours after the US called off major strikes to allow for diplomacy.
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that his country and Israel had agreed to hold off on new strikes on Iran, saying the “perimeter” of a deal was there.
The foes have been at war since Feb 28, when the US and Israel launched surprise strikes against Iran, though months of on-off diplomacy have led to periods of relative calm.
Following a return to strikes last month, fears had mounted that the fighting could escalate once again. Trump had threatened to hit Iran “very hard” and was reportedly considering renewed attacks including against energy infrastructure, with US embassies across the region on alert.
But the US leader appeared to have changed course after a flurry of diplomacy, including speaking with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
Trump said “we have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to”.
“Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
It was not immediately clear what the US president meant about the state of negotiations. Iranian media denied that Tehran had asked Trump not to strike.
