US President Donald Trump said he wanted to make a deal to end the Iran war “because I don’t want to kill people.” Iran and Oman are in the “final stages” of an agreement on a commercial route through the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran said.
But dysfunction at the top of the Iranian regime is likely slowing talks: The Iranian president said on state TV Wednesday that interaction with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is “very difficult” after he was gravely wounded in a US strike; he hasn’t been seen in months.
Three factions now compete for Khamenei’s approval: those favoring a deal at any cost, those wanting talks but full control of Hormuz, and hardliners opposed to dialogue altogether.