Arrangements for the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz are expected to be announced soon, as intensified contacts between the parties involved have made significant progress, a senior source told Al Arabiya.
The source said an announcement could come within hours, adding that consultations are moving at a rapid pace to reach understandings that would allow normal shipping to resume through one of the world’s most important maritime waterways.
The source added that discussions remain ‘in full swing’, with positive indications that an agreement is close and could bring an end to the tensions that have gripped the region in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed Al Ansari, said diplomatic contacts had reached a ‘very advanced stage’.
He said mediators, including Qatar, Pakistan and Oman, were closely co-ordinating their efforts to facilitate negotiations and exchange draft proposals between Washington and Tehran.
Al Ansari said the talks were focused on achieving ‘a short-term solution that will help revive negotiations and fully restore mediation efforts’.
“Our current focus is on de-escalation, reopening the Strait, and reopening the door to diplomacy between the parties,” he said.
“We hope that if we can resume talks soon, we will be able to move forward towards reaching an important agreement,” he added.
A senior Pakistani security official said: “A great deal is happening behind the scenes. We are speaking to both sides. Our sole objective at the moment is to get both parties to agree, at the very least, to start talking.”
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC yesterday: “We are in discussions with the Iranians, and I believe there is an opportunity to reach an agreement today or tomorrow to reopen the Strait and move towards a broader normalisation of the situation in this conflict.”
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