US Treasury Secretary says chance of Hormuz deal by Wednesday, Rubio ‘sees progress’

WASHINGTON: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the United States could reach a deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Wednesday, adding that this would stabilize energy prices. “We are in talks with the Iranians, and I think there is a chance we may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the strait and move toward a more normalized position in this conflict,” Bessent said Tuesday in an interview with CNBC. Asked if a deal would allow Iran to charge a toll on shipping using the strait, Bessent said: “I think it would be freedom of movement.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said on Tuesday there had been progress made in discussions with Iran and Oman on getting more ships through the Strait of Hormuz but no final agreement has been reached. “There’s been progress made in those talks, but not finality yet. We’re hoping that will happen very shortly,” Rubio told reporters at the State Department. <div class=media_embed> <script height=472px src=https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/zu4du2Rb-d6i0yyUg.js width=600px></script></div>   Bessent’s comments echoed those of US President Donald Trump on Monday, who insisted the waterway could reopen within hours after he pulled back from threats of a massive military strike on Iran. Iran’s foreign ministry has denied that negotiations with Washington were taking place, and on Tuesday, an unknown projectile hit a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, a key point of tension in the US-Iran conflict. Bessent was upbeat on the impact a deal with Iran over the strait would have on energy prices, where he said hundreds of ships are waiting to go out. “Even though things are still a little dicey there over the past few days, we’ve (seen) quite a few ships coming out even now,” Bessent said. “So you know, I’d expect the energy prices to settle back down, which, as I said, will be good for the entire world.” * With AFP and Reuters

Read the original article ↗