[Anchor]
The United States has stated that an agreement regarding the opening of the Strait of Hormuz could be reached soon. As Iran also reported that navigation negotiations are making progress, international oil prices dropped significantly.
Reporting from Washington by correspondent Jeon Byeong-nam.
[Reporter]
U.S. Secretary of State and White House National Security Advisor Marco Rubio stated that the U.S. is involved in the process of reaching a ship navigation agreement for the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman, and that a final agreement is likely to be reached soon.
[Marco Rubio / U.S. Secretary of State: Talks and negotiations are underway between Oman and Iran on ways to ensure the safe passage of ships in the short term, which is part of the process leading to long-term denuclearization talks.]
While emphasizing that Iran's denuclearization is the ultimate goal, Secretary Rubio drew a line by stating that the immediate task is the issue of the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also offered an optimistic outlook.
[Scott Bessent / U.S. Treasury Secretary: We are in negotiations with Iran. I think there is a possibility that an agreement can be reached today or tomorrow to open the strait and move forward with progress.]
He stated that once the Strait of Hormuz is fully opened, international oil prices and raw material prices are expected to drop further, though he did not give a clear answer on whether toll fees would be imposed.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry also conveyed the atmosphere, stating, "Up to this point, the talks with Oman are yielding positive results on both technical and political levels."
On the news of progress in the negotiations, Brent crude fell more than 5% during trading, dropping to 79.36 dollars per barrel.
Amidst these developments, some tension remains, such as an Indian-flagged commercial vessel being struck by an Iranian-made weapon and sinking in the Red Sea near Yemen.
Ultimately, the core of the negotiations has narrowed down to how much control over the strait will be granted to Iran, with U.S. media outlets reporting that routes involving entering ports via Iran and exiting via Oman are being discussed.
In this scenario, projections have been raised that Iran will ultimately manage the inbound routes to the strait while utilizing Hormuz once again as a strategic leverage in the phase of nuclear negotiations with the U.S.
(Camera: Park Eun-ha | Video Editing: Jung Sung-hoon | Design: Shim Soo-hyun)
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