Iran nears Hormuz pact with Oman as attacks keep Gulf shipping disrupted

Dubai,UPDATED: Aug 6, 2026 18:10 IST

Iran said on Thursday that it was in the final stage of drafting an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz waterway with Oman, while two Israeli soldiers were killed in Lebanon, as tensions linked to the Iran war and the wider Middle East continued.

Among the latest developments, ships were struck in the Strait of Hormuz over the past week and traffic through the waterway stayed far below normal levels. In Iraq, the country's top leadership warned that any armed activity outside state authority after September 30 would be prosecuted under the Anti-Terrorism Law.

At least two Greek-controlled ships were hit in the Strait of Hormuz in the past week, while several others reported near misses or warnings from entities claiming to represent Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard, according to maritime data company Lloyd's List Intelligence. The company also said Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels continued to claim attacks on ships in the Red Sea, though those claims could not be independently verified.

Vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz rose to 84 transits during the week of July 27 to August 2, from 45 the previous week. Even so, Lloyd's List said this remained far below the more than 700 transits seen in a typical week before the crisis. “This is one data point. It's not indicative that owners are more confident in the situation,” said Bridget Diakun, Maritime Intelligence and Research Director at Lloyd's List Intelligence. Traffic by ships not linked to Iran also increased, rising from 28 transits to 52, driven mainly by the return of gas carriers and container ships, according to the company.

In Iraq, a body of the country's top leadership said any armed activity outside state authority after September 30 would be prosecuted under the Anti-Terrorism Law, in the latest move to bring all weapons under government control. The statement by the State Administration Coalition came as several powerful Iran-backed armed factions, including Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba, rejected calls to surrender weapons or dissolve their organisations, saying they remained committed to the “option of resistance”.

Saudi Arabia and the US launched strikes on Iraq last week after Riyadh accused Iraqi militias of using drones to attack its oil facilities. The retaliatory strikes hit bases of the Popular Mobilisation Forces, a collection of armed groups close to Iran that are officially part of Iraq's security forces but often operate outside state control.

Overall, Thursday's developments reflected continuing strain across the region, from renewed risks to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz to Iraq's push to curb armed groups operating outside the authority of the state.

With PTI Inputs

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