Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
US President Donald Trump again threatened Oman as Iran said it is working with the Gulf country to finalise a plan for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The development came as a 60-day period for negotiations between Washington and Tehran moved towards expiry, with no extension announced and both sides still far apart.
At the same time, Trump brushed aside reports about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, where American sailors have spent more than 240 uninterrupted days at sea. The UN, meanwhile, called for the US and Iran to return to peace talks and lower their rhetoric.
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Iran said it has reached an agreement with Oman on a plan for ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which lies between the two countries, and that both sides are now working to finalise the details for a joint statement. Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran that “an understanding has been reached regarding the map of the transit route”.
He did not give further details, but plans outlined earlier suggested the route would reopen the strait with ships entering along a path close to Iran and leaving along a path close to Oman. Under the interim arrangement, ships would pass through without paying fees or tolls. The US has been seeking an acceptable agreement on reopening the strait before ending its blockade of Iranian ports. Iran effectively shut the strait after Israel and the US attacked the country on February 28. Before the war, roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil supplies passed through the waterway.
Trump told Fox News reporter Trey Yingst that the US would bomb Oman if it “gets in the way”, using an expletive for emphasis. Fox News did not release audio of the interview. It was not the first such threat from Trump. In May, he told reporters during a Cabinet meeting that “Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we will have to blow them up”.
According to Yingst, Trump also said the expiry of the 60-day deadline on talks to end the war was irrelevant and that there was no timeline. He also said the US has a back channel for talks with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Yingst added. UN Secretary-General António Guterres wants Iran and the US to resume peace negotiations, according to UN spokesperson Stphane Dujarric, who said there is no military solution to the conflict. Dujarric said the UN chief also believes the two countries need to “lower the rhetoric that we’ve been hearing in recent days”.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump downplayed reports about mental health and supply problems on the USS Abraham Lincoln. The aircraft carrier has been at sea for nearly nine months, including a record uninterrupted stretch of more than 240 days. Trump called it a “good period of time” and said that “over the years, we’ve had them out there much longer”. He said a retired admiral, whom he did not name, had told him over the weekend that the Lincoln was “beautifully maintained and beautifully taken care of”.
Asked about a remark he made last week on the strategic waterway, Trump said, “I like the idea of declaring it a territory,” without giving details. It is not the first time he has raised the idea of expanding American territory. He has previously spoken about taking over Greenland, Canada and Venezuela.
The 60-day deadline set in the deal Trump signed at Versailles for ending the war with Iran and reaching an agreement on its nuclear programme fell on Monday, with the two sides further apart. Talks have focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and lifting the US blockade, both of which were supposed to happen under the interim deal. There has been no sign of a compromise on the strait, or that detailed nuclear negotiations have begun.
In another development, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they attacked a ship and four military boats in the Red Sea off Mokha, near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, on Monday. Military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the rebels fired ballistic missiles at the vessels, causing the boats to capsize and burn. The Houthis said the vessels belonged to Saudi Arabia, but gave no evidence. There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia, and the claim could not be independently verified. Saree also said the rebels carried out a drone strike on government forces in Yemen’s central Marib province.
The latest developments left several fronts moving at once: Iran said it was close to finalising a Strait of Hormuz transit plan with Oman, Trump repeated his threats and dismissed concerns over the USS Abraham Lincoln, the peace deadline passed without a breakthrough, and the Houthis reported fresh attacks in the Red Sea.
With PTI Inputs
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
