From 22m agoTehran would control Hormuz strait's inbound traffic in deal, according to reportsWelcome to our live coverage of the latest in the ongoing Middle East crisis.Iran said a deal with Oman to reopen the strait of Hormuz is close to being finalised, with reports suggesting Tehran would have control over ships entering the Gulf through the strategic waterway.Both countries, which sit on opposite ends of the narrow strait, have been engaged in talks to jointly manage the key shipping route, which has been effectively closed since the start of the war in February. Iran has insisted the strait would not operate as it did before the conflict, as an open international waterway that carried about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply, as it seeks greater control over the flow of maritime traffic through the channel. Several media reports, citing sources familiar with the talks, suggest Oman would oversee outbound shipping through the strait.A drone view shows vessels in the strait of Hormuz. Photograph: ReutersBut despite reports of potentially one of the biggest concessions yet to Iran, Reuters news agency said Iranian sources ⁠rejected US President Donald Trump’s claims that a deal to reopen the strait was imminent, saying important details ​were still to be agreed.“The concession has already been made regarding some form of control over Hormuz,” one of the sources said.Iran has also said that reopening the strait would hinge on the US lifting its blockade of Iranian ports.Trump told Fox News earlier this week that talks over the strait were “moving along nicely”, adding that the strait “is going to be open very soon”.Here’s our full report from last night on the proposed deal between Iran and Oman:In Yemen, meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthis said yesterday they had attacked two Saudi oil tankers with ballistic missiles, amid the group’s maritime blockade of the kingdom.In other developments