Iran says a deal with Oman to reopen the strait of Hormuz is close to being finalised – Middle East crisis live

Iran and Oman are reportedly close to finalizing a deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global shipping. According to reports, the agreement would grant Iran control over inbound traffic through the strategic strait.

Pakistan, which has been mediating talks between the US and Iran, expressed optimism that the Hormuz deal could pave the way for resuming dialogue. Foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi stated that the agreement might lead to the resumption of technical-level talks between Iran and the United States.

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We hope that the agreement on the strait will pave the way for continuing dialogue, particularly the resumption of technical level talks between Iran and the United States.

In a separate development, three human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, declared that an Israeli strike in April which killed Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil and injured her colleague Zeinab Faraj constituted a war crime. Investigations revealed that the journalists were deliberately targeted, despite being civilians. The organizations called for an investigation into the attacks and for targeted sanctions against Israeli officials. They also noted that Israeli forces allegedly delayed Lebanese ambulances from reaching the journalists for hours, potentially contributing to Khalil's death.

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The evidence is clear that the Israeli military knew, or should have, that Faraj and Khalil were civilians, but attacked them anyway, and then prevented paramedics from rescuing them for hours.