Trump says deal to reopen Strait of Hormuz could come as early as
Wednesday
[August 05, 2026]
By ELENA BECATOROS, SAMY MAGDY and DARLENE SUPERVILLE
CAIRO (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said a deal on the Strait of
Hormuz could come as early as Wednesday, as Iran and Oman inched toward
an agreement to reopen the critical waterway and potentially help bring
an end to the war.
Israel and the U.S. originally cited goals including toppling Tehran’s
government and ending its nuclear program, but the war has devolved into
a fight over the strait as Iran’s attacks and threats ground shipping to
a halt.
Closure of the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and
natural gas once passed, has driven up the price of fuel and basic goods
far beyond the region, roiling the global economy. Trump is also under
mounting pressure to end an unpopular war ahead of midterm congressional
elections scheduled for later this year.
Trump says deal to reopen strait is close
The U.S. president 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.
“It could happen. Tomorrow or the next day,” he said, speaking on
Tuesday evening California time. “A lot of progress has been made.”
Oil prices eased Wednesday on hopes of a deal that would allow shipping
to resume. Brent crude, the international standard, slipped by 1.2% to
$78.43 per barrel early Wednesday.
The U.S. and Iran reached a deal to open the strait in June, only for
attacks to resume. In recent days, Trump has again alternately
threatened massive strikes and voiced support for diplomatic efforts.
Ships attacked in Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz
Even as hopes increased that a deal on the Strait of Hormuz could be
imminent, attacks on shipping in the region continued.
The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels claimed Wednesday they had fired
ballistic missiles toward a Saudi oil tanker called the Wafa in the Red
Sea. Brig. Gen. Yahya Sare, a military spokesman for the Houthis, made
said in a pre-recorded statement that the vessel was targeted in the
northern Red Sea off the Saudi port city of Yanbu. He didn’t provide
evidence.
There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia.
The attack is part of a recent escalation between the rebels and Saudi
Arabia which threatened to reignite the Yemen civil war four years after
the two sides reached a de-facto truce. In July, the Houthis announced
they were closing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that leads to the Red Sea for
Saudi-linked shipping in retaliation for the kingdom’s blockade on Yemen
and an attack on the international airport in Yemen’s rebel-held
capital, Sanaa.
On Tuesday, an Indian-flagged commercial ship sank in the Red Sea 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. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Earlier Tuesday, 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, about 37 kilometers (23 miles) northeast of the Omani port
city of Al Khasab. The British maritime security firm Ambrey said the
ship sustained damage.
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President Donald Trump walks to board Air Force One, Tuesday, Aug.
4, 2026, at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles. (AP
Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
The agreement would see routes controlled by Iran and Oman,
regional officials tell AP
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.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the
sensitive negotiations.
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 U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on
Feb. 28. About one fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas passed
through the strait, but shipping through the waterway has been
reduced to a trickle at best by Iran’s attacks since the start of
the war.
In an exchange with reporters on Monday, the U.S. president
reiterated his public opposition to tolls being charged in the
strait. “I’m not going to let them charge,” Trump said. “Anybody’s
going to charge, we’ll charge.”
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’s ports.
US and Iranian officials say progress is being made
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tuesday that
Tehran’s talks with Oman were focused on “establishing safe inbound
and outbound shipping lanes,” routes that “uphold sovereign rights
while also addressing the national security considerations of both
Iran and Oman.”
“The final results of these negotiations will be announced once
concluded,” he added, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news
agency.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed progress had been made
in those talks, “but not finality yet.”
Rubio has previously ruled out any deal that would give Iran control
over the strait, saying last month that would create a “very
dangerous precedent” for other parts of the world.
U.S. 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.”
Trump said Monday that the U.S. was in talks with Iran, saying it
was Tehran’s “last chance” to reach a deal and avoid another U.S.
military escalation. Iran has denied it is negotiating with the
U.S., saying the talks are only with Oman.
“The first phase is the opening of the straits. The second phase
will be the denuclearization,” Trump said. “And that will take a
little while.”
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Becatoros contributed from Athens and Superville contributed from
Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Amer Madhani and Matthew Lee in
Washington contributed to this report.
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