Iran and Oman appear to be edging closer to a deal on how the Strait of Hormuz should be managed, with the finalization of a 'shipping map' forming part of a broader accord to govern traffic through the key waterway. According to Defa Press, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei stated that the agreement constitutes an independent arrangement between the two states that will uphold their sovereignty and ensure the safe transit of vessels. The state-run news agency didn't specify whether ships will be charged transit fees or what security arrangements would be made, indicating that another phase of talks would be held. This development comes as one-fifth of the world's oil and gas transited through Hormuz before the current conflict began, making the strait's management a critical factor in global energy markets. The move follows a series of attacks in Hormuz, with there having been some 65 confirmed incidents involving vessels in Hormuz and the broader Middle East during the conflict and 17 seafarers having died as of August 11, according to the International Maritime Organization.
Iran has appointed Mohsen Rezaee, a veteran commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as the new leader of the Supreme National Security Council. According to reports from the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency, Rezaee replaces Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, a fellow hard-liner who resigned from the position. The appointment was announced on Sunday by President Masoud Pezeshkian through presidency spokesman Mehdi Tabatabaei, with Khamenei stating 'In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Dr. Mohsen Rezaee. Considering your valuable experience, I am hereby appointing you, who were one of the first commanders in the triumphant 8-Year Sacred Defense, to be my representative in the Supreme National Security Council.' The move has been framed by multiple outlets as showing 'lockstep coordination' between Iran's military and political leadership, with Rezaei's 16 years of command of the IRGC and 24 years as Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council highlighted as key qualifications for coordinating between field operations and diplomacy. As reported by Al Jazeera Arabic, Rezaee's selection surprised some Iranians who expected new faces, but his military record gives decisions stronger security and political guarantees among hardline forces.
The conflict has intensified with 17 seafarers having died as of August 11, according to the International Maritime Organization, and attacks continuing with the UK Maritime Trade Operations reporting a projectile striking a bulk carrier's hull on Saturday. Two Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. vessels were struck while transiting Hormuz on Thursday and another was hit on Friday evening, according to reports from the United Arab Emirates' state-run WAM news. Brent crude prices rose almost 6% this week as hopes faded of a quick resolution to the deadlock that's disrupted oil and other key commodities to global markets. The US has implemented a 'wall of steel' blockade of Iranian ports, with President Trump stating 'Pretty soon I'll be declaring the Hormuz strait a territory of the United States.' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that an agreement with Oman wouldn't translate into the strait's reopening, emphasizing that 'it depends on fulfilling other conditions that the US must abide by for it to take place.' The US wasn't party to the Iran-Oman negotiations and is unlikely to agree to terms that don't restore free passage along the route linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
Iran's economy has already taken a major hit, with much of its industrial capacity damaged and crude exports severely curtailed by the US blockade, but waves of sanctions have failed to force it to bend on its nuclear program or relinquish control over the strait. Trump has struggled to find an off-ramp to the war and his push for renewed economic pressure comes as the US faces a shortfall of key munitions and mounting domestic opposition to an expanded military campaign. It's unclear exactly what meaningful additional measures the US could implement without resorting to secondary sanctions on buyers of Iranian oil, such as China, which would likely spark retaliatory action from Beijing and more global energy price uncertainty. The US is readying new economic measures to force Tehran to capitulate, with Trump telling Fox News on Friday that the US plans to hit Iran's economy hard and he didn't care if the conflict ends before the November US midterm elections, which will hinge on voter perceptions of the economy.
The conflict extends beyond Iran-US tensions, with Israel continuing to clash with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and Hamas operatives in Gaza, while the Houthis have attacked ships in the Red Sea. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam reported that Israeli military staged attacks on his country on Saturday, including intensive airstrikes and shelling that claimed at least nine lives and injured 11. The situation was 'of utmost gravity' and undermines efforts for stabilization, he said in a post on X. The Israel Defense Forces earlier said it had hit Hezbollah infrastructure in the Nabatieh and Ansar areas in southern Lebanon in response to action by the militia, and that it would continue operations to counter threats against its soldiers and nationals. 'Responsibility for dealing with any military structures, if they exist on Lebanese territory, lies exclusively with the Lebanese state,' Salam said, adding that those who had been killed couldn't be considered military targets. The latest upsurge in violence threatens to derail a US-brokered ceasefire between Israeli and Lebanese governments that provides for Hezbollah's disarmament and envisions the IDF eventually withdrawing from territory it has occupied.
