Iran and Oman Reach Deal to Restore Hormuz Strait Shipping Traffic

Iran and Oman have reached an agreement to restore maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz to pre-conflict levels within one month. The deal envisions the lifting of naval embargoes and the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the waters surrounding Iran. U.S. academic David Phillips reports that approximately 20% of shipping traffic in the Strait has stalled, with over 1,500 vessels delayed for more than three months. Concurrent with these diplomatic shifts, Phillips noted that Iran possesses over 490 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%. He estimated that increasing this purity to 90% would allow Tehran to produce a nuclear weapon within 12 weeks. A senior Iranian military advisor stated that the U.S. military presence in the Gulf has effectively ended. He warned that any future conflict would likely escalate into a regional war spanning from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean.