US and Iran close to ‘some sort’ of deal despite attacks on shipping

Pakistan said on Tuesday the United States and Iran were close to "some sort" of deal, and fellow mediator Qatar said talks on managing the Strait of Hormuz were at an advanced stage, despite reports of new attacks on shipping in regional waters.

The comments offered some hope that Iran ‌and the U.S. can end a stalemate that has in effect blocked the vital waterway, through which a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flowed before the war.

Prospects for a deal had appeared to dim on Monday after the sides' latest remarks and demands.

In an interview with Bloomberg News, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said "things are shaping up again in favor of a peace arrangement or a deal."

"The signals in the last two three days are that we are close to some sort of an arrangement."

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran on Tuesday, Araqchi's Telegram channel said on Tuesday, without providing further details.

Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesperson told a briefing earlier on Tuesday that separate discussions between Oman and Iran over management of ⁠the Strait of Hormuz were at an advanced stage.

Iran's Foreign Ministry's Public Relations Office did not immediately respond to a call for comment.

Pakistan and Qatar have been the main mediators in the conflict in which thousands have been killed — mainly in Iran and Lebanon — since U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28.

Iran has hit back by striking U.S. assets and infrastructure in countries including Oman, Jordan, Kuwait, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.—Reuters