Iran and Oman have agreed on the geographical coordinates of a proposed safe shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.
A deal could potentially reopen the critical waterway, ease pressure on the world economy and help bring an end to the war.
The agreement is in its “final stage” of drafting, Esmaeil Baghaei added, but cautioned it hangs on whether “certain third parties” obstruct the process.
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump also said a deal could be announced this week.
“It could happen. Tomorrow or the next day,” he told reporters. “A lot of progress has been made. And they called me and they said, ‘Please let’s talk.’”
Despite Trump suggesting he is talking to Iran directly, Tehran has persistently said it is talking solely with Oman on the temporary arrangement.
The agreement is likely to be contingent on the US lifting its blockade on Iran’s ports.
The draft deal is waiting for final approval from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, two regional officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Khamenei is believed to have been wounded in the war’s opening strikes and has not been seen in public since then.
The officials, who were briefed on the negotiations, suggested the potential deal is a temporary solution to the dispute over the strait.
They said it is tied to an agreement reached between the US and Iran in June that aimed at ending the fighting and reopening the waterway, but ultimately collapsed.
The officials said the potential deal will pave the way for the US and Iran to resume negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program.
Earlier, they had said the potential agreement would have ships enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman.
Service fees would be charged for providing security and preserving the maritime environment, the officials said.
The US has said it is strongly opposed to any arrangement that would see Iran charge fees.
The US and Israel launched attacks in February, intending to topple Tehran’s government and end its nuclear programme.
Closure of the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas once passed, has driven up the price of fuel and basic goods, roiling the global economy.
Trump is also under mounting pressure to end the war ahead of US congressional elections.
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