A deal between Iran and Oman over control of the strategic waterway is seen as crucial to a wider peace agreement. “There is progress between Oman and Iran on the strait, and we expect a deal soon,” a US official told Reuters on Friday. “Once the deal is announced to restore commercial shipping without impediments, the United States will lift the blockade of Iranian ports.” That short-lived Jun 17 memorandum of understanding established terms for resuming Strait of Hormuz oil shipping and led to a ceasefire. He insisted that most senior military commanders supported talks towards a deal to stop the fighting.