IRAN and Oman have reached an understanding on the outlines of an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days, Saudi-based Al Hadath news channel and Al Arabiya news channel reported Thursday, both citing high-ranking sources.
The sources said the agreement, which still needs approval by Iran's Supreme National Security Council and could be announced within days, aims to resume navigation in the waterway.
Vessels entering the strait will use a route close to Iran, while those leaving will take one close to Oman. No transit fees or service charges will be imposed, and regional parties may participate in demining and technical procedures, the sources said.
Following the agreement's approval, the United States and Iran will return to their peace memorandum of understanding (MoU) and activate Paragraph 5 concerning the reopening and safe navigation of commercial shipping through the strait, the sources said.
Indirect contacts between Iran and the United States remain through mediators and have entered their final stage, the sources added.
Iran tightened its grip on the strait on Feb. 28, barring safe passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following their joint strikes on Iranian territory.
In June, Iran and the United States signed the MoU on ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon. The two sides were scheduled to hold negotiations within a 60-day period to reach a final agreement, but recent escalation in the region has left the talks' fate uncertain.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States has "massive" amounts of munitions, especially of certain types.
Trump's comments came one day after a CNN report on U.S. weapons shortages following intensive military campaign against Iran.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that "large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed. Defense companies are building the largest number of plants and factories in our country's history."
On Tuesday, CNN, citing two sources familiar with the latest inventory report, disclosed that the U.S. military has burned through nearly four-fifths of its THAAD missile inventory compared to pre-war numbers and roughly half of its Patriot interceptors since the start of the Iran war.
The inventory report also noted that the stockpile issue was raised again prior to Trump's decision last weekend to cancel new strikes on Iran, said CNN.
The U.S. Army has also used "virtually all" of its highly accurate long-range, surface-to-air weapons during the conflict, the news report said.
According to a report by the Washington Post on Wednesday, Trump at the presidential retreat Camp David last week vented anger at U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth that he thought the munitions issue "had been fixed."
Trump demanded answers from Hegseth on why he had apparently been misled on extreme munitions shortages that threaten to limit military options with Iran, the newspaper said.
"The 'leakers' of these treasonous statements are being hunted down. Long term jail sentences will be sought," Trump warned in his Thursday Truth Social post.
