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Ships crossing Hormuz need OK from IRGC, unfreezing funds part of deal, Iran official says

The official added that certain routes through Hormuz would remain open, but added that those would need to be determined as secure by Iran.

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All ships can sail through the Strait of Hormuz but this needs to be coordinated ‌with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a senior Iranian official told Reuters, adding that unfreezing Iranian funds was part of the deal.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi wrote on X that the strait was open after a ceasefire accord was agreed in Lebanon, while U.S. President Donald Trump said he believed a deal to end the Iran war would come “soon”, although the timing remains unclear.

Hundreds ​of ships and 20,000 seafarers have remained stranded inside the Gulf waiting to pass through the key waterway, which handles about 20% of the ​world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows.

The Iranian official said transits would be restricted to lanes that Iran deemed safe, ⁠adding that military vessels were still prohibited from crossing the strait.

“Releasing Iran’s funds was part of the agreement for reopening the strait,” the official noted, referring ​to an estimated $30 billion in frozen revenue, generated mainly from oil and gas exports, blocked amid U.S. sanctions on Tehran.

It was not immediately clear if this included or ​excluded the established Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) lanes for entering and exiting the Gulf used by international shipping since the 1970s.

“Even U.S. vessels would be permitted, excluding military ships,” he said.

The official added that certain routes through Hormuz would remain open, but added that those would need to be determined as secure by Iran.

“Navigation would take place in coordination with Iran, and with ​authorisation from the Guards and Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization to ensure the safety of shipping,” the official said.

Shortly after Araqchi’s statement, U.S. President Donald Trump ​posted on Truth Social: “IRAN HAS JUST ANNOUNCED THAT THE STRAIT OF IRAN IS FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR PASSAGE”.

Trump added that the U.S. military blockade of ships sailing through the ‌strait to ⁠and from Iranian ports, announced after talks with Iran last weekend in Pakistan which ended without agreement, remained in place.

Iranian state media, citing an unnamed official, said if the U.S. blockade persists, Tehran will consider it a violation of ceasefire and will re-close strait.

Iran could let ships sail freely through the Omani side of the strait without risk of attack under proposals Tehran has offered in talks with the U.S., providing a deal is clinched to prevent renewed conflict, a source briefed by ​Tehran told Reuters this week.

Iran has warned of mines placed ⁠in the strait, a threat taken seriously by ship owners, insurance underwriters, and firms sending cargo.

That threat is not fully understood and avoidance of the area by ships should be considered, a U.S. Navy advisory said on Friday.

“Status of TSS mine ​threat is not fully understood. Consider avoidance of that area,” the US Navy’s U.S. NCAGS agency said in the ​advisory sent to mariners ⁠and seen by Reuters.

It was not immediately clear whether the advisory was sent before or after the announcement about the strait being open.

Shipping industry associations said they were reviewing the situation.

“The announcement … by U.S. President Donald Trump that the Strait of Hormuz is fully open is inaccurate. The status of mine threats in the Traffic Separation Scheme ⁠is unclear,” ​said Jakob Larsen, chief safety and security officer with shipping association BIMCO.

“BIMCO believes shipping companies should ​consider avoiding the area”.

The UN’s shipping agency, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), said it was reviewing the situation.

“We are currently verifying the recent announcement related to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, in terms ​of its compliance with freedom of navigation for all merchant vessels and secure passage,” said IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez.

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US imposes sanctions on 13 tied to Iran weapons procurement

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, “Treasury will not tolerate any support to ​the regime and will continue to identify, expose, and isolate Iran’s ⁠enablers.”

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The US government announced fresh sanctions on Tuesday against 13 individuals and entities, including some based in Russia, China, Hong Kong ​and Pakistan, saying they helped Iran procure weapons and components.

The sanctions announced by the ‌Treasury and State departments are part of the Trump administration’s effort to isolate Iran economically and force it to negotiate an end to the war that began with a US-Israeli strike on Iran ​on February 28.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, “Treasury will not tolerate any support to ​the regime and will continue to identify, expose, and isolate Iran’s ⁠enablers.”

Treasury said the sanctions were aimed at degrading Tehran’s ability to reconstitute its ​weapons programs, while increasing the costs for those who supported its procurement efforts.

Those targeted ​in Tuesday’s sanctions announcements include:

Seyyed Asghar Alizadeh Tabatabai, a Beijing-based representative of Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics agency, who Treasury said had coordinated the procurement of finished weapons systems ​and dual-use components in China on Iran’s behalf.

Iran-based Kavoshcom Asia R and D ​Group, which Treasury said had procured electronics including connectors for Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company.

Hong Kong-based ‌EC ⁠Mojo Technology Co Limited, which Treasury said had provided electronic components in support of Kavoshcom’s procurement efforts, and EC Mojo’s China-based representative Li Fen.

Pakistan-based Waseem Pasha Tajammal, who serves as chairman of Cavalier Group, a privately owned defense company with locations in ​Pakistan and internationally.

Joint Stock ​Company Experimental Design ⁠Bureau Named After A.S. Yakovlev, a Russia-based aircraft manufacturer.

MG-Flot LLC, a Russia-based shipping company whose vessels transport weapons for the Russian ​government.

Saha Airlines, an Iran-based airline affiliated with the country’s air ​force.

Brett Erickson, ⁠managing principal with Obsidian Risk Advisors, said the latest sanctions action would do little to impede Iran’s ability to launch missiles and drones in the Strait of Hormuz. “This is ⁠optics ​management for the Trump administration to claim ‘We’re hammering ​them,’ when the reality is we’re poking them with a toothpick,” he said.

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US, Iran separately talk with mediators in latest bid to end war

US officials separately ​spoke with mediators on Monday, US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House, without giving further details.

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US and Iranian officials spoke separately with mediators on Monday as part ‌of a renewed effort to end seven months of war, according to officials of both countries, Reuters reported.

Any further talks are expected to focus on an amended version of a seven-day proposal that Iran presented last week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, ​an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters.

The war began in late February with US and Israeli ​attacks on Iran, killing thousands of people over seven months and shocking global markets ⁠as vital waterways for oil remained choked. The US and Iran have twice previously agreed to ceasefires in ​mediated peace talks, in April and June. Those agreements quickly unraveled.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who remained in New ​York after attending the General Assembly, said Iran expected to receive the US response to its latest ceasefire proposals and its conditions for restoring passage of maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, according to state news agency IRNA.

“If the Americans claim ​they are seeking an agreement or a peaceful solution, we have presented that solution,” Araqchi said.

US officials separately ​spoke with mediators on Monday, US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House, without giving further details.

Iran’s seven-day plan envisages an end to all hostilities in Iran and Lebanon, the unfreezing of billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian assets, an end to sanctions on Iranian oil and the lifting of the US blockade on Iranian ports.

Iran would then allow the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for ​oil tankers, and the two ​sides would also resume ⁠talks on Iran’s nuclear program and Trump’s wish to seize or eliminate its highly enriched uranium, read the report.

Trump said on Saturday he had rejected Iran’s proposal, saying Iran wanted a swift ​agreement because of the crippling economic pressure it is under. However, he also told ​Axios on ⁠Sunday that he expected US negotiators to engage in further talks this week.

Araqchi said on Sunday that mediators had not formally conveyed a US rejection, and that Iran was awaiting Washington’s definitive position before deciding its next steps.

“Our conditions are ⁠clear, and ​any move toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz is contingent on ​these conditions being met,” he said on Sunday, adding that only a negotiated solution could resolve the impasse.

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Floods, landslides kill 56 in India and 14 in Nepal

In India, the Central Water Commission said 30 river-monitoring stations across seven states indicated a “severe situation”.

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Heavy rain and storms have triggered floods and landslides that killed 56 people in India, while in Nepal, 14 have died and another 11 are missing, with authorities there warning on Sunday ​that more flash floods are possible, Reuters reported.

India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh recorded 66.5 mm of ​rain between September 25 and the morning of September 27, compared with a ⁠normal 7.6 mm for the period, Hrishikesh Bhaskar Yashod, the state’s relief commissioner, said on Sunday.

Authorities are ​carrying out rescue operations in waterlogged areas and distributing relief, while officials have been told to assess ​crop damage and provide compensation.

In addition to the 56 deaths, 46 people have been injured and more than 1,000 houses have been damaged.

Nepali authorities warned of possible flash floods in 49 of the country’s 77 districts, with more than half ​facing high flood or flash-flood risks as water levels in major rivers and tributaries continued to rise.

Shanti ​Mahat, a spokesperson for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, said Rasuwa and Nuwakot, areas hit by ‌last month’s deadly ⁠floods that killed more than 1,450 people and left thousands still missing, should remain “alert” but were not currently considered high-risk areas.

Power supply has been completely disrupted in the Manang, Mustang, Myagdi and Baglung districts, with authorities working to restore electricity, energy ministry officials said.

Flooding of the Rahuganga River damaged the structure and ​transmission-line towers of a ​40-megawatt hydropower project, Water ⁠Resources and Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha said.

In India, the Central Water Commission said 30 river-monitoring stations across seven states indicated a “severe situation”.

Several major rivers, including ​the Ganga, Gandak, Kosi, Bagmati and Narmada, were above danger levels, read the report.

Floods and ​landslides also disrupted ⁠telecommunications in parts of Nepal after damage to optical fibres and power supplies, Communications Minister Bikram Timilsinha said.

In a separate incident in Nepal, 10 local workers were also missing after an avalanche buried the base camp ⁠of the ​7,126-metre (23,379-ft) Himlung Himal in the northern Manang district, hiking officials ​said.

The workers had been setting up tents for foreign climbers, who were not present when the avalanche struck.

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