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Trump Threatens to Bomb Oman as Iran Advances Strait of Hormuz Shipping Deal/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ President Donald Trump renewed threats against Oman as Tehran and Muscat moved closer to finalizing a plan for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The 60-day period for reaching a U.S.-Iran peace agreement expired without an extension as both sides remained divided over the waterway and the American blockade. Elsewhere, Jared Kushner met Benjamin Netanyahu over a Gaza road map, the Houthis claimed attacks in the Red Sea and drones targeted Kurdish officials in Iraq.

Quick Look

• Iran says it has reached an understanding with Oman on a Hormuz transit route.
• The countries are preparing a map and joint statement.
• The proposal would create separate entrance and exit routes for ships.
• Vessels could travel without fees during an interim period.
• Trump threatened to bomb Oman if it obstructed U.S. objectives.
• The U.S.-Iran 60-day peace deadline expired Monday.
• Trump said the deadline was irrelevant and there was no timeline.
• Trump said the U.S. has a back channel with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
• Jared Kushner met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
• Netanyahu has rejected the U.S.-backed Gaza road map.
• Hamas says it accepts the proposal, including disarmament.
• Houthi rebels claimed attacks on a ship and four boats in the Red Sea.
• The AP could not independently verify the Houthi claims.
• Drones targeted two senior officials in Iraq’s Kurdish region.
• No casualties were reported in the Iraqi attacks.
• U.S. forces are withdrawing from Iraq ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline.

Deep Look

Trump renews threat against Oman

President Donald Trump again threatened Oman as the Gulf country worked with Iran on a plan for managing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Fully reopening the strategically important waterway has been a central American demand during efforts to end the Iran war.

Fox News did not release audio of the interview.

Iran and Oman approach Hormuz agreement

Iran said it had reached an understanding with Oman over a plan allowing vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz.

The two countries are working to finalize the details and prepare a joint statement.

He did not provide additional details about the proposed arrangement.

Previously reported elements suggest vessels would enter the strait using a route close to Iran and exit through a route near Oman.

Ships would not pay fees or tolls during an interim period.

Tehran acknowledges slow progress

Baghaei acknowledged that negotiations with Oman had advanced slowly.

Iran effectively closed the strait after the United States and Israel attacked the country on Feb. 28.

Before the war, approximately one-fifth of the world’s traded oil supplies passed through the waterway.

Its prolonged closure has disrupted energy shipments and contributed to higher global prices.

US blockade tied to reopening waterway

The United States has demanded an acceptable agreement for reopening the Strait of Hormuz before lifting its blockade of Iranian ports.

Washington and Tehran remain divided over who would control the waterway and whether Iran could eventually charge vessels for passage.

The reported arrangement with Oman would allow toll-free traffic only during an interim period, leaving unanswered questions about the strait’s long-term status.

Trump’s threat suggests the United States could reject any agreement that gives Iran excessive influence over international shipping.

Iran peace deadline expires

The 60-day negotiating period established to produce a peace agreement between the United States and Iran expired Monday.

There was no announcement of an extension.

Washington and Tehran appeared to remain as far apart as they were when the negotiating period began.

Yingst said Trump dismissed the deadline as irrelevant and maintained that there was no fixed timeline for reaching an agreement.

Trump also said the United States had established a back channel for communications with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to Yingst.

Kushner meets Netanyahu over Gaza plan

Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East negotiator, met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.

The meeting followed Kushner’s rare, two-hour discussion with Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on Sunday.

Those talks focused on disarming the Palestinian militant group and advancing the stalled Gaza ceasefire.

Netanyahu rejected the 15-point, U.S.-backed road map last week.

Hamas accepts road map

Hamas says it has accepted the road map, including its disarmament provisions.

The plan requires Hamas to surrender its weapons gradually as Israeli forces withdraw from Gaza.

Israel insists that Hamas must disarm completely before any military withdrawal begins.

The competing demands have prevented the ceasefire from moving forward.

Israel controls most of Gaza

Israeli forces currently occupy approximately 60% of the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu has previously threatened to expand the military’s control further.

His refusal to accept the road map places him at odds with the Trump administration and several regional governments pressing for progress on Gaza.

Kushner’s meeting with Netanyahu was intended to overcome that opposition after confirming Hamas’ position during the talks in Egypt.

Houthis claim Red Sea attacks

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed Monday that they attacked a ship and four military boats in the Red Sea.

The reported strikes occurred near the Yemeni city of Mokha, close to the strategically important Bab el-Mandab Strait.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the rebels fired several ballistic missiles at the vessels.

He claimed the attacks caused boats to capsize and burn.

Saudi ownership claim remains unverified

The Houthis alleged that the vessels belonged to Saudi Arabia but provided no supporting evidence.

Saudi Arabia did not immediately comment.

The Associated Press was unable to verify the Houthi account independently.

Saree also claimed that the group carried out a drone strike against government forces in Yemen’s central Marib province.

The reported attacks threaten another major maritime route at a time when traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely restricted.

Drones target Kurdish officials in Iraq

Two officials in northern Iraq were targeted in separate drone attacks Monday.

The regional counterterrorism service said the drones were launched from the Iranian border.

One drone targeted the office of Masrour Barzaniprime minister of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

The second targeted the home of a senior regional intelligence official.

No casualties were reported, and no group immediately claimed responsibility.

Barzani calls attack a dangerous escalation

Iran and Iranian-backed Iraqi groups have repeatedly attacked American military and diplomatic facilities in Iraq since the U.S.-Iran war began.

They have also targeted bases used by exiled Iranian Kurdish opposition groups.

Direct attacks on Kurdish regional government buildings, however, have been unusual.

US forces withdraw from Iraq

American forces stationed in Iraq’s Kurdish region have started withdrawing.

The departure comes ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline agreed upon by Washington and Baghdad for ending the U.S. military presence in Iraq.

The withdrawal is proceeding as attacks linked to the wider Iran conflict place additional pressure on security in the Kurdish region.

Monday’s developments highlighted the war’s expanding regional consequencesstretching from the Strait of Hormuz and Gaza to the Red Sea and northern Iraq.

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