On Wednesday, Iran’s hard‑line Revolutionary Guard asserted that the United States is blocking a deal between Iran and Oman aimed at guaranteeing safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Guard added that Tehran and Muscat have already settled on how to split control of this crucial waterway, including the disputed revenue from its management, according to the semi‑official Tasnim agency.

It warned that the strait would stay shut unless Washington accepts Tehran’s terms.

Later that morning, President Donald Trump told a radio interviewer that the waterway is already open.

He said, “We’re moving many vessels through the strait right now,” speaking to conservative host Glenn Beck.

He added, “Occasionally a drone or rocket is fired, but the route remains fully operational, with large volumes of oil flowing out.”

The IRGC’s remarks followed a Tuesday joint statement from Iran and Oman, in which their foreign ministers said they had discussed a proposed framework for a temporary joint navigation corridor in the Strait of Hormuz and a plan to clear mines from the waterway.

Trump has recently asserted that the United States and Iran are holding covert talks, although Tehran denies any such discussions. Last week, however, he said the two sides had finished talking and had no intention of restarting dialogue.

In a Wednesday Al Jazeera interview, Trump said he is not rushing to resume negotiations with Iran.

He stated, “I have no timetable, none. I’m not in a hurry. I have no schedule at all,” when asked how much time he is giving Iran to return to talks.

He also told Al Jazeera that he believes both economic pressure and military action against Iran are effective.

Two days prior, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent unveiled a plan to economically isolate Iran by threatening secondary sanctions on the Islamic Republic’s “enablers.” The measures, announced almost six months into the conflict, have not yet been imposed.

Oil prices have continued to fall after the statement, with the international Brent crude benchmark.

According to preliminary Kpler data, only five commodity ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, well below the 10‑day average of fifteen. Normally, about one‑fifth of global crude moves through the waterway before the Iran‑related tensions.

The Iran‑Oman joint statement added that technical talks would continue aimed at reaching a permanent navigation corridor, future administration of the strait, and a system for sharing information, managing traffic, and providing navigational and security services.

Adding to oil‑price pressure, the United States has reportedly begun redeploying diplomats to Gulf states, indicating Washington does not anticipate imminent military escalation. Late Tuesday, Russia’s RIA Novosti cited Iranian and Pakistani sources, saying the U.S. and Iran might announce a new cease‑fire in the coming days that would guarantee shipping freedom through Hormuz. The claim could not be independently verified, and the White House did not reply to a request for comment from MS NOW.

U.S. Delays Secondary Sanctions

This follows Bessent’s Monday pledge to launch an “economic D‑day” against the Iranian regime, threatening to target Tehran’s “enablers” and trading partners to choke its economy, a list that covered 60 people, organizations and ships.

Nevertheless, the United States has so far refrained from levying major secondary sanctions on other countries, notably Chinese financial firms believed to be facilitating Iran’s oil exports.

Bessent said on Monday, “Why would I want to destabilize the global financial system? We think it’s important to set a baseline and give people a grace period, but they should know we will act swiftly and we are serious.”

China, which purchases roughly 90 % of Iran’s oil, warned on Tuesday that it would retaliate if the United States broadened economic pressure on countries trading with Tehran.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday, “Beijing will take all necessary steps to firmly protect its rights and interests.

U.S. CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a surprise trip to Moscow this week to warn Russia against attacking NATO, according to multiple media reports, amid growing fears of further escalation in the Ukraine war.

Ratcliffe’s first publicly known visit to the Russian capital as CIA chief came to light on Tuesday, when a U.S. Air Force jet was spotted arriving at a Moscow airport, and footage of a diplomatic motorcade moving through the city emerged on social media.

The purpose of Ratcliffe’s trip to Moscow was first reported Wednesday by The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources briefed on the trip.

Politico and CBS News separately reported the same motive, citing multiple people familiar with the matter. CBS News added that Ratcliffe also brought up Iran, warning of additional sanctions if the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz does not reopen to shipping traffic.

The Trump administration has threatened Iran’s trading partners with so-called secondary sanctions as it seeks to ratchet up the pressure on Tehran’s economy following six months of war between the U.S., Israel and Iran.

China, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey are known to be among Iran’s top trading partners, while Russia has long shared close economic and military ties with Tehran.

Spokespeople for the CIA and the Russian Embassy in London were not immediately available to comment when contacted by CNBC.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday described Ratcliffe’s meeting with figures from Russia’s intelligence services as “semi-routine.” He added that “something may come out of” the Moscow visit and Washington would like to see the Russia-Ukraine war come to an end. His comments came during an interview with conservative talk show host Glenn Beck.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, meanwhile, said Ratcliffe did not meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Moscow and declined to specify whether the meeting concerned issues such as Ukraine or Iran.

“I can only tell you that contacts took place through the intelligence services,” Peskov said Wednesday, according to Russian state news agency Tass.

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged an intensifying series of drone and missile strikes far beyond the front lines in recent weeks, amplifying fears of further escalation in the conflict.

Alongside analysts and external observers warning that Russia’s full-scale invasion could soon enter a more dangerous phase, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Putin is preparing to escalate the war.

In comments posted on X earlier this month, Zelenskyy called on the country’s partners to ramp up sanctions pressure on Moscow and provide Kyiv with further air defense support.

Russian forces have increased the number of missile strikes on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, likely as part of a push to exploit Kyiv’s shortage of ballistic missile interceptors.

Zelenskyy has repeatedly called on international partners to expedite the supply of ballistic missile interceptors to Ukraine, saying the technology could have saved the lives of those killed in Kyiv on Aug. 5.

‘Quite an unusual visit’

Katia Glod, deputy head of foreign policy at the New Eurasian Strategies Centre think tank, said Ratcliffe’s trip to Moscow was “quite an unusual visit” but not the first of its kind.

The last known visit by the head of the CIA to Moscow was in November 2021, when William Burns warned Russia against sending troops into Ukraine. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine just weeks later in late February 2022.

“I think it is indeed important that [Ratcliffe] went there. He is one of the strongest supporters of Ukraine and I think the current wave of escalation of hybrid attacks against Europe is indeed something that perhaps the U.S. also wants to have some discussion with Moscow about,” Glod told CNBC’s “Europe Early Edition” on Thursday.

“We have seen the cases recently in Germany. Again, there have been many cases in Britain and I think this just shows us that the level of communication is needed to be stepped up, because the situation … has been escalating,” she added.

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