US-Iran Strait of Hormuz Talks: All About the 30-Day Plan, Tehran’s Toll Abolition, and What Rubio Said in Jaipur | Today’s news
The United States and Iran are actively discussing a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping about 30 days after the two countries reach a formal agreement to end hostilities, according to a report in Japan’s Nikkei newspaper, citing a Middle East diplomat — even as fresh U.S. military strikes in southern Iran and Secretary of State Marco Rubio cut off a cautious assessment.
The 30-Day Plan: What the US and Iran Are Reportedly Discussing
According to the Nikkei report, any deal would see Iran use a 30-day window to clear mines from the strait, after which vessels from all countries would be able to navigate the waterway freely and safely. Under the announced terms, Iran would also stop collecting transit fees from ships passing through, although Iranian officials said fees for specific services, including navigational assistance and environmental protection measures, would remain in place under a protocol to be agreed with Oman, which lies on the opposite side of the strait.
Read also | US-Iran deal ‘95% there’, talks continue on Hormuz, uranium stockpile
The same report said the ceasefire agreed in early April would be extended by 60 days, with the interim period being used to negotiate Iran’s nuclear program.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the potential deal did not include any specific details on the management of the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that nuclear issues would be discussed only after the framework agreement was agreed. Tehran has consistently denied that it has any plans to develop a nuclear weapon, despite having stockpiles of highly enriched uranium.
Marco Rubio: Iran deal could take ‘a few days’
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on his plane in Jaipur, India, on Tuesday that negotiating a final deal with Iran could “take several days,” a statement that effectively put on hold any expectation of an immediate resolution.
Rubio was unequivocal about the centrality of the Strait of Hormuz to Washington’s position. “The straits have to be open, they’re going to be open one way or another, so they have to be open,” he told reporters. He said the US would give diplomacy every chance to succeed before considering whether to deal with Iran “in a different way”.
Read also | A drop in the dollar on the sign of an agreement to reopen the Straits of Hormuz will stimulate risk appetite
In earlier remarks in New Delhi, Rubio described the current state of negotiations as offering “a pretty solid thing on the table” and pointed to discussions about reopening the strait and what he called “very real, significant, time-bound negotiations on nuclear issues.”
Fresh US strikes in southern Iran complicate diplomacy
The cautious diplomatic signals came against a backdrop of renewed military action. The US Central Command confirmed on Monday that it had carried out new strikes in southern Iran targeting boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites, in what Washington described as an action “to protect our troops from threats from Iranian forces”.
Iran said on Monday it had intercepted and shot down an “enemy” stealth drone using a new air defense system, according to Iranian news agencies, without identifying the origin of the aircraft.
Read also | This shipping ETF has returned 860% YTD amid the Strait of Hormuz blockade
The strikes came even as Iran’s top negotiator and foreign minister was in Doha for talks with Qatar’s prime minister about a possible deal to end the three-month-old conflict. An official briefed on the visit told Reuters that the talks from Doha focused on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The governor of Iran’s central bank also attended the meeting to discuss the possible release of frozen Iranian funds as part of any final solution.
Trump on Truth Social: “Great deal or no deal”
In a lengthy post on Truth Social on Monday, US President Donald Trump commented on the state of negotiations, saying talks with Iran were proceeding “well”, while warning that if they failed, more attacks would follow.
“It will only be a Grand Deal for all or no deal,” Trump wrote, characterizing the administration’s negotiating stance in characteristically blunt terms.
Why the Strait of Hormuz Matters: Oil, Gas and Global Supply Chains
The strategic and economic interests surrounding the strait are considerable. Before the conflict began with the US and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, between 125 and 140 vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz a day. That number has since dropped to just a few dozen, a transport collapse that has sent oil prices soaring and fuel, fertilizer and food prices up around the world.
Read also | Iran found a partner to help it toll the Strait of Hormuz. That partner is the US ally
The waterway normally transports approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, making it one of the most critical bottlenecks in global energy supplies. In early Asian trading on Tuesday, U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose slightly from Monday’s last trade price, although it remained 5.5 percent below Friday’s close, reflecting the market’s volatile reaction to any shift in diplomatic power.
Lebanon and Hezbollah: Regional tensions remain elevated
Beyond negotiations with Iran, the broader regional situation remains fragile. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel would step up strikes against Iran-backed Hezbollah militias in Lebanon. The Israeli military confirmed shortly after that it was carrying out strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley and other areas.
Read also | Another power play by Iran: Taxing Google, Meta and others for Hormuz Internet cables
Israel and Lebanon agreed to a truce in mid-April, but Israel continues to carry out airstrikes in what it describes as acts of self-defense against Hezbollah, a party that was not part of the truce.
