President Donald Trump said the United States had reached an agreement with Iran on the Strait of Hormuz and announced the start of a new round of talks. But despite the declaration, Washington and Tehran still appear to be working from different assumptions about what the deal actually means.[2][1]
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important shipping lanes, carrying about 20% of global oil shipments. If the passage is blocked, energy markets around the world can be jolted.[1]
On the day Trump announced the agreement, an Iranian semiofficial outlet released video showing dozens of vessels waiting in a line in the northern waters of the strait for permission to pass. Iran has long required ships using the waterway to take the northern route near its territory, while attacking vessels that chose the southern route near Oman. A military clash between the United States and Iran that lasted more than two weeks last month stemmed from those southern-route attacks.[1]
Iran has maintained that some countries, including the United States, have pressured ships to use the southern route and infringed on its interests. Reports say Iran and Oman are now nearing completion of talks on a new fixed shipping route that would avoid either side’s preferred lane. But a June memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran limited toll-free passage through the Strait of Hormuz to a 60-day negotiation period, and Washington is unlikely to accept a new route that falls short of free, toll-free transit.[1][2]
