<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump walks to board Air Force One, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
Mark Schiefelbein\/AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein<\/p>\n
A woman waves an Iranina flag next to a billboard showing a graphic of a man wearing a shirt showing the face of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during a joint U.S. and Israeli strike on Feb. 28, with words calling upon the avengers of Imam Hussein, one of Shiite Islam’s most beloved historical saints, in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026. CORRECTS: Amends wording for clarity.<\/p>\n
Vahid Salemi\/AP Photo\/Vahid Salemi<\/p>\n
CAIRO (AP) \u2014 U.S. President Donald Trump said a deal on the Strait of Hormuz could come as early as Wednesday or Thursday, while Iran and Oman inched toward an agreement to reopen the critical waterway and potentially help bring an end to the war.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Trump was asked by reporters traveling with him in California about a report on the Axios news site that an announcement on the Strait of Hormuz could be made on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
\u201cIt could happen. Tomorrow or the next day,\u201d he said, speaking on Tuesday evening California time, which was already Wednesday morning in the Middle East. \u201cA lot of progress has been made.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oil prices eased on hopes of progress for a deal that would allow oil tankers to freely exit the Persian Gulf again and deliver crude around the world. Brent crude, the international standard, slipped by 1.2% to $78.43 per barrel early Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The agreement would see routes controlled by Iran and Oman, regional officials tell AP<\/p>\n
The possible agreement emerging from talks between Iran and Oman calls for ships to enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman, two regional officials told The Associated Press. Service fees would be charged for providing security and preserving the maritime environment, the officials said.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations.<\/p>\n
The Trump administration has previously ruled out any deal that would give Iran control over the strait, which was an open international waterway before the the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. About one fifth of the world\u2019s oil and natural gas passed through the strait, but shipping through the waterway has been reduced to a trickle at best by Iran\u2019s attacks since the start of the war.<\/p>\n
In an exchange with reporters on Monday, the U.S. president reiterated his public opposition to tolls being charged in the strait. \u201cI\u2019m not going to let them charge,\u201d Trump said. \u201cAnybody\u2019s going to charge, we\u2019ll charge.\u201d<\/p>\n
The regional officials said negotiations are still underway and that the final agreement could take a different form, with any deal linked to lifting the U.S. blockade on Iran\u2019s ports.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
US and Iranian officials say progress is being made<\/p>\n
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tuesday that Tehran\u2019s talks with Oman were focused on \u201cestablishing safe inbound and outbound shipping lanes,\u201d routes that \u201cuphold sovereign rights while also addressing the national security considerations of both Iran and Oman.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe final results of these negotiations will be announced once concluded,\u201d he added, according to Iran\u2019s state-run IRNA news agency.<\/p>\n
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed progress had been made in those talks, \u201cbut not finality yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
Rubio has previously ruled out any deal that would give Iran control over the strait, saying last month that would create a \u201cvery dangerous precedent\u201d for other parts of the world.<\/p>\n