Diplomats from Iran and Oman meet as Strait of Hormuz remains closed 6 months into Iran war

The top diplomats of Iran and Oman met on Tuesday to discuss a phased approach to managing ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz , which remains largely shut down nearly six months after the Iran war began. The talks came after an oil tanker was disabled in an attack off the coast of Oman, underscoring the ongoing dangers for shipping companies attempting to use the waterway while it’s under Iranian control. Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here . Iran and Oman issue statement on talks to manage the strait Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi met with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, in Tehran, Iran’s capital, to discuss a framework for managing ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. AP AUDIO: Iran and Oman hold talks on managing the Strait of Hormuz and other news from around the Middle East AP correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports another tanker has been hit in the Strait of Hormuz, as talks wrap up in Oman. A joint statement by the two countries, located on opposite sides of the narrow strait, said the proposed framework includes a “joint temporary navigational corridor” and both countries working to clear mines from the waterway. The statement said Iran and Oman will continue technical negotiations toward establishing a permanent shipping corridor and an agreement on the future administration of the strait. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told state TV that the two countries had reached an understanding on a temporary route. Traffic into the Persian Gulf from the Gulf of Oman would pass entirely through Iranian waters, while the outbound route would pass partly through Iranian waters and partly through Oman’s territorial waters. Related Stories The Kremlin says the CIA director held talks in Moscow with his intelligence counterparts 4 MIN READ 109 Key inflation gauge remains elevated during Iran conflict and ongoing US trade fights 4 MIN READ 52 Dubai airport reports sharp drop in second quarter traffic due to Iran war’s effects 1 MIN READ Iran and Oman would then hold negotiations over 30 to 60 days to “reach an understanding on a new permanent and sustainable route,” he said. Read More About a fifth of the world’s traded oil passed through the strait before the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. It’s unknown whether the U.S. will accept the emerging deal. U.S. President Donald Trump last week threatened to bomb Oman if it “gets in the way” of American efforts to reopen the strait. Iran’s president and other senior officials also discussed the strait with a delegation from Pakistan that left Tehran on Tuesday following talks on reviving negotiations to end the Iran-U.S. conflict, the Pakistani military said. A tanker is hit and disabled off Oman’s eastern coast A strike on an oil tanker on Monday night off Oman’s coast disabled the ship’s engine, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization reported. It said all crew were reported safe. There were no immediate reports of any environmental impact. Iran periodically fires at vessels attempting to transit the strait to enforce its control of the waterway, though there was no immediate claim for Monday’s attack. The U.S. has also fired on vessels while imposing a blockade of Iranian ports. Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy . No answers a year after Israeli soldiers kill 22 Palestinians, including journalists and rescuers Tuesday marked one year since Israeli soldiers killed 22 Palestinians , including journalists and rescue workers, in a double strike on a hospital in Gaza that provoked global outrage. No one has been held accountable. Israeli officials said the target was a suspected Hamas camera on the roof of Nasser Hospital. Among those killed were Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri and Mariam Dagga , a visual journalist who worked for The Associated Press and other news organizations. Despite repeated requests by the AP , the army has not provided details about the investigation or a timeline for when it could be completed. Rights groups say Israel rarely holds troops accountable for killing Palestinians, pointing to long investigations that rarely lead to prosecution . China warns about US sanctions threat disrupting its cooperation with Iran China’s Foreign Ministry says it is closely following plans announced by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to expand sanctions to entities and individuals linked to Iran, including some based in China. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said China-Iran cooperation “should not be disrupted or undermined,” noting that it has conformed with international law. China is one of Iran’s biggest trading partners and purchases the majority of its total oil exports. The Treasury Department on Monday said it was imposing sanctions on nearly 60 Iran-linked entities, including several based in China. It stopped short of imposing secondary sanctions on countries that trade with Iran. Israeli strikes kill at least 4 people in Gaza An Israeli strike killed at least three people on Tuesday in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to Shifa Hospital, which received the casualties. Another strike, northwest of the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, killed at least one Palestinian and wounded four, according to the city’s Nasser hospital. Separately, Medical Aid for Palestinians, a U.K.-based charity providing health and humanitarian assistance, said an Israeli airstrike destroyed a warehouse belonging to a local partner in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. The warehouse stored nutritional supplies for children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, the charity said. The Israeli military said it struck a suspected militant in southern Gaza and several targets it described as Hamas infrastructure in Jabaliya. It did not immediately comment on the warehouse strike. Palestinians in Gaza face severe food shortages, with many displaced families relying on scarce humanitarian aid and charity kitchens for meals. Israeli forces seize vocational school run by a UN agency Israel on Tuesday seized a U.N.-run facility housing a vocational school on the outskirts of Jerusalem, advancing its campaign against the U.N. agency that provides humanitarian services to millions of Palestinian refugees across the Mideast. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the agency, known as UNRWA, does not own the land. Israel cited similar reasoning when its forces demolished the agency’s former east Jerusalem headquarters in January. The U.N. interim Mideast coordinator, Ramiz Alakbarov, called the seizure unlawful and said it deprived 340 Palestinian refugees of educational services. Israel has accused UNRWA of anti-Israel bias and at times of employing Palestinian militants. The United Nations and UNRWA have denied the accusations and say they investigate credible allegations and act quickly to purge suspected militants among staff. Last year Israel’s Knesset passed legislation severing ties with the agency and banning it from functioning in what it defines as Israel — including east Jerusalem. ___ This story corrects the spelling of the Omani foreign minister to Badr al-Busaidi, not al-Busaid.