A cargo ship has been hit in the Strait of Hormuz just hours after Donald Trump claimed the world's most important oil chokepoint could reopen "literally by tomorrow". So, what's actually going on?

Right, let's unpack this, because it's getting messy.

According to a report by cbinews.tv, an unknown projectile struck a cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, right in the middle of this ongoing US-Iran standoff.

And the timing is wild. This came just a day after President Donald Trump, speaking from the White House on Monday, insisted that talks to reopen the strait were already underway and could yield results within hours.

In typical Trump fashion, it was a mix of big optimism and even bigger threats. He called this Iran's "last chance before decapitation".

For context, cbinews.tv reports that Tehran and Washington have been at war since 28 February, when the US and Israel launched surprise attacks on Iran. Yes, there's been a ceasefire and a preliminary deal, but diplomacy just hasn't managed to seal it.

And at the centre of it all? The Strait of Hormuz.

It's the crucial artery for global oil and gas, and it's become the flashpoint that keeps dragging both sides back to fighting. Iran reportedly wants to maintain control and start charging tolls for passage - something it never did before the war, and something Washington is dead set against.

It's become a bit of a pattern now. Last week, Trump threatened to hit Iran "very hard", even hinting at civilian infrastructure, only to row back on Saturday and say the "perimeters" of a deal were in place.

On Monday, he said he agreed to keep talking at the request of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and others.

Awkwardly though, Iran's foreign ministry says no negotiations are happening at all. Trump's response? "We are talking right now."

As reported by cbinews.tv, Trump claims the talks are focused on two things: reopening Hormuz, which he says could happen "literally by tomorrow", and the denuclearisation of Iran, which he admitted could "take a little while".

"It's not very complex," he said, adding he'd know by Tuesday how things were going, "one way or the other".

Just hours earlier he'd branded Tehran "duplicitous" on social media for denying talks were happening. "Whether Iran wants to admit it or not, we are, in fact, talking of a solution to a problem that they have caused, for decades," he wrote.

He also pointed to America's counter-blockade of Iranian ports: "Nothing gets through to Iran, unless we want it to, and nothing will get through, unless a Deal, or Total Surrender, is accomplished."

More than five months into a war that's already cost Washington billions, Iran is still able to fire missiles and drones at US and allied targets and still holds its stockpiles of enriched uranium.

Trump has made ending Iran's nuclear programme his big priority - Western nations say it's about building atomic weapons, Tehran insists it's purely civilian.

Then came Tuesday morning's twist. Britain's maritime security agency, UKMTO, said a cargo vessel had been struck by an "unknown projectile" in the Strait off the coast of Oman. No name, no word yet on damage or injuries, and authorities are investigating.

Iran is still effectively blockading the strait, telling ships they must coordinate crossings and stick to a route hugging the Iranian coast. Plenty of vessels are instead taking the southern route, close to Oman.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran is negotiating a new route with Muscat but insisted it has nothing to do with reopening Hormuz.

So - is a breakthrough really coming tomorrow, or is this another false dawn? We'll have to wait and see.

Source: cbinews.tv

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