Deal on Hormuz shipping route reached with Oman, says Iran

Iran said an agreement with Oman has been reached on a proposed route for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a potential step toward a reopening of the critical waterway for energy supplies.A joint statement from Tehran and Muscat is under review and in the final drafting stage, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Wednesday. Negotiations between the two countries are “professional” and “forward-moving” and a deal would be struck “if certain third parties do not obstruct this process,” he said.The proposed deal between Iran and Oman would give Tehran control over ships entering the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian source and two regional officials said Wednesday, in one of the biggest concessions yet to Iran.Despite the apparent step towards yielding to Iranian demands, the sources pushed back against assertions by Trump that a deal reopening the strait was imminent.