ByMAYA ZANGER-NADISAUGUST 4, 2026 12:28Iran and Oman are closer than ever to reaching an agreement to reopen shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, US and Iranian officials told the New York Times on Monday, adding that the terms of the proposed agreement would lie heavily in Iran's favor. This would give Iran control over areas that were international waters before the war, officials told the NYT. Ships heading into the Persian Gulf would travel via a channel controlled by Iran along its coast, and those leaving the Gulf would use an Omani channel. The deal stipulates that no tolls will be charged, but there is a "service fee" to cover various environmental and staffing costs, Iranian officials told the NYT. The revenue from said fee would be divided equally between Iran and Oman, they noted. However, a US official familiar with the negotiations told the NYT on Monday that Iran’s account was “not accurate.” The official said there would be no tolls and that any new routes or channels would be “temporary” and would not require Iran’s permission or approval.Ali Vaez, deputy Middle East program director at the International Crisis Group, told the NYT that Iran sees leverage in the Strait of Hormuz as its only tangible achievement from the war. A deal with Oman has the potential to put Iran in a better place than it was before the current round of fighting, Vaez noted. US President Donald Trump speaks to the media aboard Air Force One en route to Joint Base Andrews, in Maryland, US, August 2, 2026. (credit: REUTERS/Daniel Heuer)“[US President Donald] Trump’s options are between an unwinnable war and an unpalatable peace,” he told the NYT.Trump says renewed US-Iran talks are Tehran's last chance to sign deal 'before decapitation'This confusion follows an announcement by Trump that the US-Iran negotiations had been renewed, and a Monday Truth Social Post criticizing Iran’s leadership for being “unbelievably duplicitous” and accusing them of being dishonest regarding the status of US-Iran negotiations.“They ask for a meeting… talks begin, with more scheduled in the immediate future, and they say, openly and proudly, that they’re not having any discussions, that nothing is being talked about,” Trump lamented on Truth Social.He added that “nothing gets through to Iran, unless we want it to, and nothing will get through, unless a deal, or total surrender, is accomplished.”Trump also disputed Iranian claims of controlling the Strait of Hormuz, asserting that the waterway is “already completely controlled by the United States Navy.”Iran Foreign Ministry denies talks with US, says no meetings planned, despite Trump claimsIranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Monday night that, despite Trump's claims, there are no ongoing talks between Iran and the United States and no upcoming meetings planned, per the Wall Street Journal.However, the Iranian Foreign Ministry confirmed that talks with Oman concerning the future of the Strait of Hormuz were continuing, and both Oman and Iran noted that there had been progress made over the last few daysThe dispute over the Strait of Hormuz remains a central point of contention. Washington says the June memorandum required Iran to open the strategically vital waterway, while Tehran argues the text explicitly preserved its authority over shipping traffic.So far, the United States has failed to compel Iran to relinquish its grip on the waterway, sending global oil prices higher and pushing up politically sensitive gasoline prices in the United States.Goldie Katz, Shoshana Baker, Tzvi Jasper, and Reuters contributed to this report.Follow us on Google