CAIRO (AP) 鈥� Iran and Oman are inching toward a deal to reopen the disputed and potentially help bring an .
The calls for ships to enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman, two regional officials told The Associated Press.
Any deal, though, appears contingent on the U.S. lifting its blockade on Iran鈥檚 ports. U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has any deal that would give Iran control over the strait.
Elsewhere, a was held in Gaza City for more than 100 people killed in an Israeli strike early in the conflict. A memorial service was also held in Beirut for victims of a 2020 port explosion, and Yemen鈥檚 Houthis claimed they fired at a Saudi Arabian airport.
Here is a look at the most important developments in the Middle East on Tuesday.
US officials suggest strait deal imminent
Senior U.S. officials struck an optimistic tone on Tuesday, suggesting a deal to reopen the strait could be reached soon.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed there has been progress made in talks between Iran and Oman, 鈥渂ut not finality yet.鈥�
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that 鈥渢here is a chance we may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the strait and move towards a more normalized position in this conflict.鈥�
The Strait of Hormuz is the crucial waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world鈥檚 oil and natural gas passed before the war. It has been effectively shut by Iran鈥檚 attacks on shipping since the start of the war in February.
Cargo ship reports strike in Strait of Hormuz
A cargo ship reported being 鈥渉it by an unknown projectile鈥� while traversing the Strait of Hormuz, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center.
The center said the reported strike damaged the vessel at around 2 a.m. local time while it was about 37 kilometers (23 miles) northeast of Al Khasab, a port city in Oman that juts into the strait.
It’s unclear what flag the ship was sailing under or whether it was carrying cargo, but the British maritime security firm Ambrey said the ship sustained damage.
Gaza residents killed in 2023 airstrike laid to rest
Hundreds of people gathered as the bodies wrapped in Palestinian flags were laid in rows near the destroyed buildings before being carried on stretchers through a narrow street for burial in a nearby cemetery.
The 112 victims were among more than 300 killed during an attack on Nov. 22, 2023, on Gaza City鈥檚 Sabra neighborhood.
First responders recovered the bodies, including 40 children and 30 women, over the weekend, according to the Civil Defense, a rescue agency operated under Gaza鈥檚 Hamas-run Interior Ministry.
The Gaza war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage.
Israel鈥檚 military offensive in Gaza has since killed 73,375 people, including civilians and combatants, according to Gaza鈥檚 Health Ministry.
Around 7,400 people are still missing and presumed buried under the rubble from the war, according to Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Gaza Health Ministry鈥檚 records department.
Yemen鈥檚 Houthis fire at airport in Saudi Arabia
In Yemen, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, said a drone hit a 鈥渟ensitive target鈥� at the airport in the southwestern city of Najran, without providing evidence. He said the attack was in response to what he described as Saudi breaching of Yemen鈥檚 airspace over the provinces of Saada and Hajjah. There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis recently announced a blockade on Saudi-linked shipping passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that leads to the Red Sea.
Saudi Arabia led an international coalition and imposed an air and sea blockade against the rebels after they seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen in a civil war that began in 2014. Major fighting ended in a truce in 2022.
Memorial marks Beirut port explosion anniversary
Families of the more than 200 people killed in the massive explosion at the port in Beirut in 2020 to mark six years since tons of improperly stored ammonium nitrate exploded, devastating large parts of the Lebanese capital.
No one has been convicted in a long-stalled judicial investigation into the incident, but some families expressed renewed hope after government officials promised indictments would be issued by the end of the year.
The tragedy has been overshadowed by recent events, including two wars between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group and an Israeli military occupation of much of the country鈥檚 south.
Israel discusses withdrawal from Lebanon
Israeli and Lebanese officials met in Rome on Tuesday to continue talks on implementing a U.S.-mediated deal in which the Israeli military would gradually withdraw from southern Lebanon while the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group would be disarmed.
A State Department spokesperson that the U.S. 鈥渞emains fully committed to supporting both governments as they carry this process forward in a manner that delivers lasting security for both countries, eliminates security threats to Israel, and restores Lebanese state authority throughout the south.鈥�
Implementation of the June 26 agreement began last month with an initial 鈥減ilot zone鈥� in an area that wasn’t occupied by Israeli forces but had previously sustained Israeli fire.
U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa suggested ahead of the three-day talks that no new pilot zones would be immediately implemented, saying that 鈥渕oving too quickly risks jeopardizing the very civilians this process is meant to protect.鈥�
___
Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece. Wafaa Shurafa in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Abby Sewell in Beirut, Lebanon, Matthew Lee in Washington and Philip Marcelo in New York contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
