Indirect talks between the US and Iran made “positive progress”, according to mediators following recent clashes over the Strait of Hormuz.
The strategic waterway remains a flashpoint in the fragile interim ceasefire brokered between the two sides and was the cause of the recent exchange of fire after a cargo ship was attacked.
Donald Trump has claimed the number of ships now using the channel is “setting records”, although maritime monitoring indicated vessels making the passage still remained well below pre-conflict levels, amid ongoing security concerns.
Ending Tehran’s stranglehold on the sea route, which disrupted global oil and gas supplies and drove up fuel and food prices, had been a key demand in negotiations.
But the initial deal reached between the US and Iran – known as the Islamabad memorandum of understanding – only secures safe, toll-free passage of the strait for 60 days, pending the outcome of a final agreement on Tehran’s disputed nuclear plans.
The pact also leaves it to Iran and Oman, in conjunction with other Gulf states, to “define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz”.
In the meantime, Iran has continued to try and exert leverage over the channel, including demanding ships seek permission to transit and raising the spectre of future charges.
This has included Tehran insisting only it will carry out mine clearance in the strait, casting doubt on a planned UK and French-led mission to make the vital sea lane safe for shipping and reassure operators.
At the same time, during a visit to a naval air station, US vice president JD Vance said America was “negotiating from a position of strength” as a result of its military.
He confirmed the discussions in the Qatari capital Doha, conducted through mediators at separate meetings, had centred on commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Mr Vance said: “Obviously, we’re worried about the nuclear issue. We’re going to start talking about that.”
A spokesman for Qatar’s foreign ministry wrote on X: “Qatar & Pakistan mediators concluded separate meetings with the US & Iranian negotiators in Doha today, with positive progress made on issues related to the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, building on the outcomes of the Lake Lucerne summit.
“The parties agreed to continue discussions over the coming period, with the next meeting to be scheduled at the earliest possible time following the funeral processions of the former Iranian Supreme Leader.”
The late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is due to be buried on July 9, was killed in the opening attack of the war that Israel and the US launched against Iran in late February.
He was succeeded by his son, Mojtaba.
Speaking at the opening of the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota, Mr Trump made reference to the Middle East situation during a wide-ranging speech.
He told an audience: “You see fuel is coming way down, it’s dropping like a rock, just like I said, because those boats are coming out of the Hormuz strait. They’re coming out by numbers that nobody ever saw. We’re setting records, actually.”
However, Marine Traffic, an independent global ship tracking service, recorded 34 verified crossings over the most recent day available. This is compared to more than 120 before the war.
The president later wrote on his Truth Social platform: “Just as I promised, oil prices are plummeting fast and gas prices at the pump are dropping too, but not as fast as they should be.”
He added: “America has never been stronger than it is now, and gas prices will soon be back to the record low prices Americans enjoyed at the pump before our very successful ‘excursion’ in Iran.”
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