Strait gridlock - Dozens of vessels stranded near Oman’s Khasab in Hormuz

"Dozens of ships and oil tankers remain anchored offshore near the city of Khasab on the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz in footage filmed on May 17. On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Tehran continues to coordinate with the Sultanate of Oman and other relevant parties to develop a mechanism governing navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Baghaei added that Iranian and Omani officials held a meeting in Muscat last week to follow up on the issue. He also noted that Tehran had received a 'series of proposals' from the US after conveying its views through Pakistani mediation. Meanwhile, Brigadier General Reza Talaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics, said on Monday that work is underway to draft a new legal framework regulating management of the Strait of Hormuz. According to Talaei, the proposed framework would be submitted to the Islamic Consultative Assembly and would prevent what he described as 'enemy ships' from passing through the waterway. For his part, Donald Trump announced on Monday via Truth Social that he had postponed a military strike on Iran that had reportedly been planned for the same day due to what he described as 'serious negotiations' currently underway. Trump said he had instructed military commanders not to proceed with the planned attack, but added that US. forces remain prepared to launch a "comprehensive and wide-ranging attack" should negotiations fail to produce what he called an acceptable agreement. The United States and Iran launched a joint military operation against Iran on February 28. On April 8, US President Donald Trump announced a two-week truce with Iran to allow for negotiations aimed at reaching an agreement to end the crisis, extending it later until Tehran submits its proposals, without specifying a timeframe. On April 11, Islamabad hosted the first round of negotiation talks between the United States and Iran without reaching an agreement. The planned second round has yet to take place."

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