Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Iran said it will not allow military vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz if a shipping arrangement now being discussed with Oman becomes binding, as the two countries work on a new system to manage commercial traffic through the key waterway, which remains largely shut down nearly six months after the Iran war began.
The development came amid fresh pressure across the region, including an Israeli strike on a tent sheltering displaced people in southern Gaza, a sharp fall in passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport because of war-related disruption, Germany ending its advisory mission in Iraq’s Kurdish region, and Thailand saying the USS Lincoln is due for a brief stop as it prepares to reposition after a long deployment that included support for the Iran war.
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Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told state TV late on Tuesday night that Iran and Oman had reached an understanding on a new framework for ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz that would exclude military vessels. The top diplomats of the two countries had met to discuss the issue. “If the understanding becomes binding, no military vessel will be permitted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz,” he said. “No military vessel at all.”
He did not give further details on military traffic, but described the proposed commercial route through the strait. According to Gharibabadi, traffic entering the Persian Gulf from the Gulf of Oman would pass entirely through Iranian waters, while the outbound route would pass partly through Iranian waters and partly through Oman’s territorial waters.
The Trump administration has told Oman it opposes parts of the proposed deal, including joint Iranian and Omani management of the exit route through the passage, which is critical to global oil and natural gas supplies. US President Donald Trump last week threatened to bomb Oman if it “gets in the way”.
Officials in Thailand said the USS Lincoln was scheduled for a brief stopover in the country as the aircraft carrier prepared to reposition after a lengthy deployment.
In Gaza, an Israeli strike on a tent for displaced people on Wednesday in the south of the territory killed one person and wounded at least four others, according to officials at Gaza’s Health Ministry. The Israeli military said it had struck a “military operative”, without giving further details.
Palestinians in Gaza have reported a rise in deadly Israeli strikes even as US efforts to move forward the fragile ceasefire in the nearly three-year Israel-Hamas war continue. Israel has said it targets Hamas and other militants who pose a threat, as well as those who took part in the October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war. About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Israel that day and 251 were abducted by militants. Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 73,400 people in the enclave.
The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-controlled government, is staffed by medical professionals and keeps detailed records that are generally seen as reliable by United Nations agencies and independent experts. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its count.
Dubai International Airport, one of the world’s busiest travel hubs, said on Wednesday that passenger numbers fell sharply in the second quarter as the war with Iran disrupted air travel and led many travellers to choose routes that avoided the Middle East. The airport handled 13 million passengers in the quarter. In the first half of 2026, traffic was down 31.3 per cent from the same period last year, with 31.5 million passengers.
Air traffic in the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere in the Gulf was disrupted by shutdowns and restrictions from February 28. The airport itself suffered minor damage in attacks from Iran. Chief executive Paul Griffiths said passenger volumes had risen steadily each month in the second quarter and that the trend was expected to continue in the second half. “The trajectory now is universally positive,” he told The Associated Press.
In Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, Germany ended the mission of its military advisers after years of supporting the US-led coalition against Islamic State militants. The region’s Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs said an official ceremony was held at Camp Stephan at Irbil International Airport to mark the end of the mission. Germany had already reduced its presence in Iraq, but had kept a small contingent at the base.
The German move comes as US forces have also begun withdrawing from northern Iraq ahead of a September 30 deadline to end their military presence in the country. US bases in the Kurdish region have regularly come under attack since the United States and Israel launched the Iran war on February 28.
Overall, the latest developments showed that the Iran war continues to affect shipping, military movements, air travel and fighting elsewhere in the region, even as efforts to manage commercial traffic and sustain a ceasefire remain under strain.
With PTI Inputs
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
