iran war: iran says strait of hormuz deal close, but u.s. must agree
4 minute read
vessels transiting through the gulf of oman are pictured off the coast of muscat on july 25, 2026.
-
/
afp via getty images
see more toronto sun on google — save as a preferred source
iran and oman are reportedly close to finalizing an agreement on how to manage the strait of hormuz. however, it doesn’t mean the waterway will reopen right away, according to iranian deputy foreign minister kazem gharibabadi.
the minister said those conditions largely concerned the u.s., which he accused of reinstating a naval blockade, resuming violent hostilities and reimposing sanctions.
and despite reports of depleted weapons stockpiles, u.s. president donald trump insisted that the military has “massive amounts of munitions.”
here’s the latest on the iran war on thursday:
saudis bracing for ‘co-ordinated attacks’ by houthi, iraqi militants
on the same day that houthi militants took responsibility for attacks on its military, saudi arabia was reportedly preparing for “multiple co-ordinated attacks” by iraqi militias working in conjunction with yemeni rebel forces.
the threat also came after the houthis claimed responsibility for an attack on a saudi oil tanker in the gulf of aden on wednesday.
the report by cnn cited an anonymous saudi official, adding the plot threatens to widen the conflict in the middle east as the saudis have been appealing for de-escalation.
the report by cnn cited an anonymous saudi official, adding the plot threatens to widen the conflict in the middle east as the saudis have been appealing for de-escalation.
the official told cnn that iraqi militias were planning to attack in the “very near future” and were receiving guidance from iran’s islamic revolutionary guard corps, citing “multiple intelligence reports” from saudi officials and other allies in the region.
“saudi arabia will take all necessary measures to deal with any aggression,” the official told cnn ahead of an expected summit on friday in mecca involving delegates from saudi arabia, turkey and pakistan.
the countries are expected to announce a joint defence agreement during the summit, cnn reported, citing regional sources.
advertisement
iran-backed houthis claim to hit saudi troops
the iran-supported houthi militants in yemen claimed responsibility for carrying out a large-scale attack on the saudi military, which included ballistic missile and drone strikes in several areas of the country, cnn reported.
“our armed forces conducted a large-scale and precise military operation targeting saudi enemy troop concentrations in the areas of al-ruwaik, al-abr, al-thaniyah and other camps,” the houthis said in a statement.
the militant group said the attacks were in response to what it said were saudi military buildups “in their final stages aimed at escalating the aggression against the liberated provinces and the yemeni people.”
the group offered no evidence for the claim. there had been no immediate confirmation from the saudi side.
reuters reported that at least 30 yemeni government troops were killed in houthi attacks on military camps in the provinces of marib and hadhramawt.
iran arrests 21 people on suspicion of being israeli spies
iran’s intelligence ministry said that 21 people with alleged ties to israel’s mossad intelligence service had been arrested in the southern kerman province.
the intelligence ministry said they were identified and detained during intelligence operations targeting what it described as agents connected to the “espionage and terrorist service of the zionist regime (mossad),” cbs news reported.
the ministry said the accused had gathered information on sensitive and classified military and air defence facilities and transferred it to mossad.
u.s. president donald trump speaks at general motors’ milford proving grounds on july 27, 2026, in milford, mich.
andrew harnik
/
getty images
trump insists u.s. has ‘massive amounts’ of munitions
trump insisted his country has “massive amounts of ‘munitions” despite reports that air defence stockpiles have depleted.
“additionally, large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the u.s. as needed. defence companies are building the largest number of plants and factories in our country’s history,” trump wrote on truth social.
advertisement
the president then threatened any “leakers” for releasing “treasonous statements” about the matter, saying they are being “hunted down” and that “long-term jail sentences will be sought.”
trump later told abc news: “we have far more munitions than anyone in the world and far more than we need.”
iran, oman close to finalizing hormuz deal
oman and iran are close to finalizing a framework for shipping through the strait of hormuz, according to gharibabadi.
however, once a deal is reached, it wouldn’t automatically reopen the waterway right away and is subject to preconditions.
gharibabadi said those conditions largely concerned the u.s., which he accused of reinstating a naval blockade, resuming violent hostilities and reimposing sanctions.
negotiations have continued for more than three weeks, which produced an agreement on proposed inbound and outbound shipping routes, gharibabadi told state-run media, per cnn.
gharibabadi has denied that iran is currently negotiating with the u.s. despite trump saying “very good discussions” were had with iran and that the strait of hormuz would reopen “soon.”
explosive kills two israeli soldiers in lebanon
two israeli soldiers were killed in southern lebanon after an explosive detonated in a building in the town of majdal zoun.
according to the israel defence forces, the soldiers were participating in a clearance operation to take apart hezbollah infrastructure in the town. four other troops were wounded, per cnn.
the israeli army was still trying to determine when the explosive was planted and how it was detonated on wednesday.
the incident is what the idf called a “blatant violation of the ceasefire” between israel and lebanon.
trump says iran talks ‘working out’
trump said in an interview with fox 5 on wednesday that negotiations with iran appear to be “working out quite well.”
advertisement
trump said “you never know” what could happen and that “it may be, it may not be” different from previous talks.
despite talks, trump reiterated that attacks are still on the table: “we are ready to go.”
israel, lebanon talks ended over news leaks
israeli ambassador yechiel leiter said talks between israel and lebanon in rome ended three hours early because of repeated inaccurate leaks from the lebanese delegation, abc news reported.
recommended video
share story
