Iran-Oman Hormuz talks advance as U.S. pauses 13 nights of strikes

Iran and Oman made progress in talks over shipping management in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, as the U.S. paused its 13-night bombing campaign to create space for diplomacy, two regional sources told CBS News.

"The discussions have advanced on common principles and operational mechanisms for vessel transit," Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Sunday, confirming several rounds of technical talks in Tehran. Omani officials traveled to the Iranian capital Friday for the negotiations, which coincided with President Donald Trump's decision to halt U.S. strikes after 13 consecutive nights of bombardment.

Only six ships traversed the strait on Thursday, down from 15 a day earlier, according to intelligence firm Kpler. Brent crude fell back below $100 to about $96 a barrel Friday after touching $101 Thursday, its highest since May. The U.S. military disabled one vessel attempting to run its blockade of Iranian ports, Central Command said, while Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they stopped four ships attempting to transit via an "illegal and unsafe route."

The stakes extend well beyond the waterway. Americans are paying $4.11 a gallon for regular gasoline, up from $3.16 a year ago, threatening Republican prospects in November's midterm elections. A return to the interim ceasefire deal signed in June — which briefly reopened the strait — would require Iran to accept fewer restrictions on vessel routing, a regional official involved in the mediation said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations.

A Fragile Pause Takes Hold

Iran reported no strikes overnight Saturday for the first time in almost two weeks, with Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour posting on X that "Iran had a peaceful night." The Islamic Republic said Sunday it had halted retaliatory attacks against U.S. allies in the Middle East, with army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia confirming the reciprocal pause. "Since our strategy has essentially been retaliatory, we have also halted our retaliatory operations," he said.

The lull followed internal White House debate over escalation. Vice President JD Vance and General Dan Caine, the top U.S. commander, both raised concerns at a Friday meeting about the implications of widening the campaign, CNN reported. The Pentagon had presented Trump with a plan for a 14th night of strikes but he declined to authorize it in favor of a push for talks, according to Axios. The New York Times reported that shrinking supplies of Patriot interceptors and precision-guided munitions were also restraining further escalation.

Trump said Friday he had not decided whether to resume all-out operations. "We're talking to them right now. I think they're getting more and more serious," he told reporters. The president faces a visit from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, adding another variable to the diplomatic calculus. Israel, which launched the war alongside the U.S. on Feb. 28, has been notably absent from the renewed American strikes.

Oil at the Center of the Calculus

The Strait of Hormuz normally handles about 20 percent of the world's oil supply, and its effective closure has reverberated through global energy markets. Brent crude had fallen from well over $100 into the $70 range after the June interim deal reopened the waterway, but the resumption of hostilities erased those gains. The cost of Brent rose about 8 percent over the past week alone.

The conflict has also spread to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said they struck two Saudi Aramco oil facilities Saturday and confirmed a maritime blockade targeting Saudi vessels. Forty-nine ships transited the Bab el-Mandeb on Thursday, Kpler data showed, just below the pre-crisis average, as the Houthis limited their blockade to Saudi-flagged ships.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said there was "no military solution" to the Yemen conflict and offered to facilitate talks between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke to his Saudi counterpart by phone Saturday in a bid to ease tensions after the Houthi strikes.

The diplomatic window remains narrow. Trump repeated Friday that Iran would "love to make a deal" but said "I don't think they're ready to. I don't think it's time yet." A regional official said the compromise under negotiation would allow Iran to manage vessel transit through the strait with fewer restrictions on ships — a formula that could restore the flow of oil without either side appearing to concede.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.