‘May have a deal today or tomorrow’: US sees Hormuz pact with Iran by Wednesday
Washington: United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated that an agreement with Iran to reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz waterway could be reached as early as Wednesday, a move he highlighted would help stabilise volatile global energy markets.
“We are in talks with the Iranians, and I think there is a chance we may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the strait and move towards a more normalized position in this conflict,” Bessent stated during an appearance on CNBC.
Addressing questions on whether any potential pact would permit Tehran to impose transit fees on vessels navigating through the maritime bottleneck, Bessent said, “I think it would be freedom of movement.”
Bessent’s optimistic assessment aligned with comments made earlier by US President Donald Trump, who suggested the vital maritime corridor could be reopened within hours. Trump's remarks followed a step back from earlier threats of launching large-scale military strikes against Iran.
Despite Washington's assertions, Iran's Foreign Ministry publicly disputed that direct discussions were taking place. Highlighting the ongoing instability in the region, an unidentified projectile struck a commercial cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that Washington remains actively “involved” in diplomatic discussions mediated between Oman and Iran aimed at restoring maritime traffic through the vital channel, which historically handled roughly a fifth of global petroleum shipments prior to the conflict.
“There's been progress made in those talks but not finality yet; we're hoping that will happen very shortly,” Rubio informed reporters.
Bessent expressed confidence regarding the economic benefits of resolving the shipping standstill, noting that hundreds of commercial vessels are currently waiting to traverse the waterway.
“Even though things are still a little dicey there over the past few days, we've (seen) quite a few ships coming out even now,” Bessent observed.
“So you know, I'd expect the energy prices to settle back down, which, as I said, will be good for the entire world.”
AFP