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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday said a deal regarding the Strait of Hormuz could be made either “today” or “tomorrow” as the world waits for the strategic waterway to return to pre-war conditions.
“We are in talks with the Iranians. 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,” Bessent said during a Tuesday appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio weighed in on the state of the strait while speaking with reporters on Tuesday, arguing that ships and oil were moving through the waterway, which suggest that it is “open now.”
“I think that there’s a conversation and a negotiation that we are involved in between Oman and Iran on how more ships can be able to go through there safely in the short term as we move towards these longer-term talks about denuclearization,” Rubio said, suggesting the U.S. was undertaking efforts to reopen the waterway alongside Oman.
“And suffice it to say there’s been progress made in those talks, but not finality yet. We’re hoping that will happen very shortly,” he added.
Iran has denied that it’s in talks with the U.S. concerning the critical shipping route but has noted that Tehran is considering a joint venture with Oman.
“We are not currently holding negotiations with the United States. Our talks are with Oman and are focused on reaching an understanding on a route that would allow shipping traffic to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said during a Monday press conference.
“Our aim is to work out, as soon as possible and in consultation and cooperation with Oman, a route that would naturally be temporary and would enable us to ensure the security of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” he added.
President Trump said Iran’s leaders are “duplicitous” and accused them of beginning to “beg” for resumed peace talks.
He said on Sunday that the U.S. held off on a “massive attack” at the request of Gulf allies and their leaders, who asked for a diplomatic resolution.
“This is a last chance,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Monday. “This is a last chance for them to sign a good document.”
The president said phase one of a deal would include the reopening of the strait and phase two would focus on denuclearization efforts.
Since the start of the war, the second Trump administration has announced multiple ceasefires, which all ended in a return to violent strikes due to conflict in the Strait of Hormuz.
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