Senior U.S. officials struck an optimistic tone on Tuesday, suggesting a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz could be reached soon.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed there has been progress made in talks between Iran and Oman, “but not finality yet.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that “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.”
The Strait of Hormuz is the crucial waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas passed before the war. It has been effectively shut by Iran’s attacks on shipping since the start of the war in February.
Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, said he also spoke to U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday as the Arab country tries to broker a resolution to the war.
Al Thani’s office said in a statement that on the phone call, the two discussed ways to bridge the divide “in a way that enhances the prospects of reaching a sustainable diplomatic settlement to the crisis.”
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Ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz and in Red Sea
A cargo ship reported being “hit by an unknown projectile” while traversing the Strait of Hormuz, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center.
The center said the reported strike damaged the vessel at around 2 a.m. local time while it was about 37 kilometers (23 miles) northeast of Al Khasab, a port city in Oman.
It's unclear what flag the ship was sailing under or whether it was carrying cargo, but the British maritime security firm Ambrey said the ship sustained damage.
On the Red Sea, meanwhile, an Indian-flagged commercial ship sank off Yemen after being struck by an explosive-laden boat, Yemeni and Indian authorities said.
Yemen’s coast guard rescued the crew, which included 13 Indians and a Yemeni.
India’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, though no one immediately claimed responsibility. Iran-backed Houthi militants have repeatedly struck ships traversing the Red Sea near Yemen.
Gaza residents killed in 2023 airstrike laid to rest
Hundreds of people gathered Tuesday as bodies wrapped in Palestinian flags were laid in rows near flattened buildings in Gaza City.
The 112 victims were then carried off on stretchers through a narrow street, destined for burial in a nearby cemetery. They were among more than 300 killed during an attack on Nov. 22, 2023, in the city’s Sabra neighborhood.
First responders recovered the bodies, including 40 children and 30 women, over the weekend, according to the Civil Defense, a rescue agency operated under Gaza’s Hamas-run Interior Ministry.
The Gaza war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage.
Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has since killed 73,375 people, including civilians and combatants, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Around 7,400 people are still missing and presumed buried under the rubble from the war, according to Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Gaza Health Ministry’s records department.
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Israel discusses withdrawal from Lebanon
Israeli and Lebanese officials met in Rome on Tuesday to continue talks on implementing a U.S.-mediated deal to drawdown the Israeli military from southern Lebanon and disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.
A diplomat familiar with the negotiations said Lebanon had asked for the next “pilot zone” — where Israeli forces would withdraw and the Lebanese army would take control — to be either in the town of Khiam or Bint Jbeil. Both areas saw heavy fighting in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war and are currently occupied by Israeli forces.
But U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa suggested ahead of the three-day talks that no new pilot zones would be immediately implemented, saying that “moving too quickly risks jeopardizing the very civilians this process is meant to protect.”
Implementation of the June 26 agreement began last month with an initial pilot zone in an area that wasn’t occupied by Israeli forces but had previously sustained Israeli fire.
