Trump: Iran is about to give up everything and the Strait of Hormuz is open

U.S. President Donald Trump insisted the Strait of Hormuz was open to navigation, while Iran linked the resumption of ship passage through the vital corridor to the return of calm to the region, after announcing its closure on Saturday amid a new round of reciprocal strikes with Washington.

"It's open, we dealt a very strong blow to them last night," Trump told NBC on Sunday, July 12, in response to a question about the Strait of Hormuz, adding that the U.S. and Iran were close to reaching an "agreement" on Saturday, "They were about to give up everything, and then all of a sudden two hours later, they targeted a ship with a drone, these people are having some kind of malfunction." 

  The Joint Maritime Information Center, which is overseen by the US Navy, announced that Oman's southern route in the Strait of Hormuz remains open for navigation in both directions, despite Iran's announcement of the closure of this vital waterway.

In an advisory note published on Sunday, the center said, "U.S. forces are ready to maintain freedom of navigation and protect legitimate trade, in accordance with international law, and the  southern route in the Strait of Hormuz remains open."

The center pointed out that the level of security threat in the strait remains at a "severe" level, despite the fact that the southern route continues to be open to ship traffic.

In the same context, the UK's Maritime Trade Operations Authority (UKMTO) reported on Sunday that the crew of a container ship that was damaged near the Strait of Hormuz was rescued after crew members had to evacuate it.

Iran confirms: Strait of Hormuz closed

Iran's Strait of Hormuz Management Authority announced in a statement on Sunday that the corridor is closed "due to the recent illegal movements of US military forces in the area," adding that "once stability and calm are restored, the crossing requests will be decided on a time basis and the necessary permits will be issued," according to Iran's ISNA news agency.

Iran and the United States exchanged strikes on Sunday morning, the third wave of strikes in a week, as the US Central Command (CENTCOM) carried out attacks on Iranian military sites, in conjunction with Tehran's launching missiles and drones towards bases and sites in Gulf and Arab countries.

Later, the IRGC Navy announced that "the Strait of Hormuz will be closed until further notice until the end of the US intervention in the region," stressing that "no ship will be allowed to pass." It said in a statement that the decision came after "the vessel attempted to sail through an unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz," noting that it was subjected to warning fire and was forced to stop. The IRGC Navy warned that "if the enemy uses this incident as a pretext and makes any mistake, it will face a severe response."

Iran declares failure of negotiations with Oman over Hormuz

Iran's Foreign Ministry announced that talks between Tehran and Muscat on the Strait of Hormuz have ended without any tangible progress.

The ministry said in a statement on Sunday that the two sides agreed to continue talks at the political and technical levels "to reach a common understanding on ensuring the security of navigation," adding that a delegation from the State of Qatar also participated in the talks, where Doha plays the role of mediator between Iran and the United States during these talks.

Earlier, CNN quoted an informed source as saying that Oman has submitted a proposal to manage navigation in the Strait of Hormuz to keep both lanes open, the north and the south, with separate administrations.

According to the proposed text, which has not yet been made public, the southern corridor that passes through Omani territorial waters would be allowed to travel as it did before the war, while ships transiting the northern corridor passing through Iranian territorial waters would need prior approval from Iran, knowing that no fees would be charged under the agreement.