Iran Says Progress in Oman Talks on Hormuz Strait Management

A boat sails past a tanker anchored on the Strait of Hormuz off the coast Qeshm island, Iran, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Asghar Besharati)
A boat sails past a tanker anchored on the Strait of Hormuz off the coast Qeshm island, Iran, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Asghar Besharati)
TT

Iran Says Progress in Oman Talks on Hormuz Strait Management

A boat sails past a tanker anchored on the Strait of Hormuz off the coast Qeshm island, Iran, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Asghar Besharati)
A boat sails past a tanker anchored on the Strait of Hormuz off the coast Qeshm island, Iran, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Asghar Besharati)

Iran said on Sunday it had made progress in talks with Oman on management of the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway crucial for oil and gas trade that both countries border.

The latest talks come after the United States resumed attacks on Iran in an effort to end Tehran's control of the strait, following a June memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war that had briefly eased tensions.

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said several rounds of negotiations were held in Iranian capital Tehran on Friday and Saturday between Iranian and Omani deputy foreign ministers.

The discussions focused on "common principles and operational mechanisms" for ensuring the safe passage of shipping through the strait while respecting the sovereign rights of the two states, Baqaei said.

He described the talks as "useful" and said progress had been made, adding that "technical and political consultations between the two sides were continuing".

In June, Oman and Iran said they would discuss imposing service fees, a move Washington opposes.

But Muscat also said ships could transit Hormuz via its waters, angering Tehran, which responded with a pattern of escalation.

Iran said on Saturday that it had not recorded any US attacks after nearly two weeks of strikes.

According to news site Axios, the Pentagon presented US President Donald Trump with a plan for a 14th consecutive night of strikes, but he declined to authorize it in favor of renewed talks.

The report said Trump made the order to hold fire after an Omani delegation arrived in Tehran "for talks on a new arrangement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz".

Responding to a separate question, Baqaei said there had been "no change" in the status of shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

On Sunday, Iran's armed forces stopped six vessels attempting to transit the Hormuz strait after warnings over the past 24 hours, according to state television.

 

 

 

 



Iran Offers $30,000 Bounty for Killing, Capturing US Soldiers

A man waves an Iranian flag before a political billboard at Valiasr Square in central Tehran on August 8, 2026. (AFP)
A man waves an Iranian flag before a political billboard at Valiasr Square in central Tehran on August 8, 2026. (AFP)
TT

Iran Offers $30,000 Bounty for Killing, Capturing US Soldiers

A man waves an Iranian flag before a political billboard at Valiasr Square in central Tehran on August 8, 2026. (AFP)
A man waves an Iranian flag before a political billboard at Valiasr Square in central Tehran on August 8, 2026. (AFP)

Iran's military announced on Sunday that it was offering a bounty equivalent to $30,000 for killing or capturing US soldiers, with the reward doubled if carried out by a woman.

Army chief Amir Hatami said the plan had been drawn up following "the large number of requests" to participate in the financial support, according to the IRNA state news agency.

There has been no known deployment of US ground forces in Iran during the Middle East war, with the exception of a rescue mission in April for a downed American pilot.

Hatami did not provide any details on where or when the killing or capturing of US soldiers was expected to take place.

"Anyone who kills or captures and hands over an invading American military personnel will receive a reward equivalent to $30,000 or 5 billion tomans from Iran's Army," Hatami said, using an informal unit equivalent to 10,000 Iranian rials.

"Courageous Iranian women who carry out such an action will receive double the reward," he added.

The war between Tehran and Washington began on February 28 after the United States, joined by Israel, attacked Iran. It was followed by an April ceasefire after nearly 40 days of fighting, and a June framework for peace talks that later collapsed.

Iran and the United States have since traded fire sporadically, with fighting mainly centered in southern Iran and around the Strait of Hormuz.


Iranian Parliament Advances Bill to Curb Foreign Influence

 A woman is silhouetted against the sun as she checks her cellphone at Revolution square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (AP)
A woman is silhouetted against the sun as she checks her cellphone at Revolution square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (AP)
TT

Iranian Parliament Advances Bill to Curb Foreign Influence

 A woman is silhouetted against the sun as she checks her cellphone at Revolution square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (AP)
A woman is silhouetted against the sun as she checks her cellphone at Revolution square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (AP)

Iran's parliament approved on Sunday the general principles of a bill that would criminalize interviews and other communications with media deemed hostile to the country, including US or Israeli media and outlets financed by either country, Iran's Shargh newspaper reported.

Osman Salari, a member of parliament's judicial and legal commission, said the individual provisions of the bill, which is aimed at countering foreign intelligence influence, have yet to be debated and approved.

Reports about ‌the bill's ‌details should not yet be considered final, Salari ‌told ⁠the Mizan news ⁠agency.

Under the proposed bill, interviews or participation in discussions with such media would be banned and violations would carry six months to two years in prison.

Interviews with other foreign media would require notification to the intelligence ministry, while contact with foreign embassies, offices of foreign organizations or other non-Iranian institutions without ⁠notification and written permission from the foreign ministry ‌would be punishable by a fine ‌and deprivation of certain social rights.

The proposed legislation would also ‌harden penalties for economic crimes committed under the direction or ‌supervision of foreigners, ban providing information to foreigners without intelligence ministry approval and restrict scientific cooperation with foreign institutions outside an approved list.

It would punish policy or legislative proposals made under the direction of ‌foreign intelligence services if they harm Iran's security or independence, with prison terms of up ⁠to 30 years. ⁠Cases would be heard by Revolutionary Courts.

The bill will be considered article by article in parliament. Once parliament approves the final text, it will have to be reviewed by the Guardian Council before becoming law.

The move is not the first time Iran has criminalized cooperation with foreign entities. A law passed in 2025 after a 12-day war with Israel imposed tougher penalties for alleged cooperation with hostile states.

Iranian photojournalist Yalda Moaiery was sentenced this month to 15 years under that law over allegations that included giving interviews to media deemed hostile and providing photographs to US and Israel-linked organizations.


PM Tusk: Poland to Send Emergency Aircraft to Budapest after Coach Crash

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk speaks during the Polish Armed Forces Day in Gdynia, northern Poland, 15 August 2026. EPA/Andrzej Jackowski POLAND OUT
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk speaks during the Polish Armed Forces Day in Gdynia, northern Poland, 15 August 2026. EPA/Andrzej Jackowski POLAND OUT
TT

PM Tusk: Poland to Send Emergency Aircraft to Budapest after Coach Crash

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk speaks during the Polish Armed Forces Day in Gdynia, northern Poland, 15 August 2026. EPA/Andrzej Jackowski POLAND OUT
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk speaks during the Polish Armed Forces Day in Gdynia, northern Poland, 15 August 2026. EPA/Andrzej Jackowski POLAND OUT

Poland will send an emergency aircraft to Budapest following a coach crash that killed 12 people and left at least 10 critically injured, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Sunday.

"I have made the decision to send a special Polish aircraft to Hungary with representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and medical services," Tusk said on social media. "All the injured will receive the necessary medical and consular assistance," he added.