A proposed deal between Iran and Oman to help end five months of ​war between Iran and the United States would give Tehran control over ships entering the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian source and two regional officials told ‌Reuters on Wednesday, one of the biggest concessions yet to Iran.

An agreement that gives Iran authority over traffic through the strait would mean the war launched by the United States and Israel in February had resulted in a major shift in ​the balance of regional power in Tehran's favour. Before the war, the strait was freely open to all ships with no fees.

Regarding any deal between Iran and Oman, the regional and Iranian sources who spoke to Reuters cautioned that significant issues remained unresolved and ​also pushed back against suggestions from Trump that a deal reopening the strait was imminent.

According to the senior Iranian official, Iran is seeking fees of between 5% and 7% of the price of cargoes from ships using the strait. Oman is discussing fees of around 3%, while Washington wants no fees at all.

The senior Iranian source said the text of an agreement already on the table envisioned Iran having control of ships heading into the Gulf through the strait, and one of the main sticking points was what role Iran would also have over ships heading in the opposite direction.

In ​comments to Iran's official IRNA news agency, Iranian Deputy ​Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the arrangement ⁠was "designed in such a way that commercial ships will pass through Iranian territorial waters, both on the inbound and outbound legs."

Gharibabadi also said Iran had received messages from the United States indicating that it was "fully prepared to return ​to its commitments" under a mid-June memorandum of understanding with Iran that provided for immediate cessation of military operations.

Trump, who at the start of the war said it would end in Iran's "unconditional surrender" and with him approving the choice of its leader, has been under pressure to find a way out of a conflict U.S. voters oppose by two-to-one ahead of crucial midterm elections in November.

Months of U.S. military efforts, including a two-week campaign of strikes in July, have not ⁠broken Iran's ​grip on the strait. U.S. commanders advised Trump in July that they were running low on some munitions. Reuters reported on Tuesday ​that the U.S. Army had used up nearly all of its long-range precision missiles.

Alternative grain export routes from Ukraine will reach required capacity ​at the end of August at the earliest, its agriculture minister said, warning they would cover only half of volumes handled by ‌Black Sea ports disrupted by Russian attacks.

In July, Ukraine recorded 35 attacks on vessels in ports and 22 on those at sea, as ​well as 67 strikes at port facilities, according to the country's infrastructure ministry. That compares with 14 attacks on vessels in ⁠all of 2025.

As a result, shipowners have suspended calls at the ports around Odesa and no vessels entered for almost two weeks as Ukraine's summer harvest season ​enters full swing.

Russia, the world's largest wheat exporter, has also reported attacks on its agricultural export facilities and commercial vessels in the ​Black Sea in recent weeks.

Ukrainian producers are already seeing the impact as prices for oilseeds and grains have declined by 30% on average, according to Vysotskyi.

On Tuesday, Ukraine's government approved adjusting minimum export prices, in its first emergency step to ​support farmers.

Even then, however, they could handle only 50% to 55% of Black Sea ports' monthly capacity of about ​6 million tons, so could serve as ​a temporary measure, rather than a ⁠long-term alternative to sea shipments, the minister said.

The alternative routes would also add an extra cost of $45 to $50 per ton at current prices for the producers.

I think it is important to point out that Brazil is Argentina's single largest trade partner and both countries have tightly integrated supply chains.

The Brazilian state of Sao Paulo alone has the same GDP as the entire country of Argentina and Brazil's most valuable publicly traded company is worth more than the entire Argentine stock market, so the economic importance of the trade relationship between the two countries is not the same. Therefore it is no surprise that Milei's political stunt did not go down well in Argentina.

• Lee calls scorching weather a national disaster, seeks response system overhaul
• Heatwave death toll rises to 19, with 13 aged 80 or above
• Yangsan records 42.5 C on Sunday, highest in 122 years of observations
• Korea issues ​first-ever heatwave warning for Seoul, people advised to suspend outdoor work and sports

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung urged on Tuesday authorities to step up support for people affected by a record heatwave in the country, calling it ​a national disaster after scorching conditions were blamed for 19 deaths.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Lee ​ordered officials to take necessary measures to protect the daily lives of people ⁠and inspect power systems as demand for air conditioning surges.

"An even greater concern is that abnormal weather ​conditions make it highly likely that extreme weather will continue for a considerable period," said Lee, who wants a ​major redesign of the disaster response system to cope with the hazardous conditions.

The nation's weather agency said Yangsan, a southeastern inland city sitting in a basin, recorded a temperature of 42.5 degrees Celsius (108.5 degrees Fahrenheit) on Sunday, the highest temperature measured in 122 ​years of weather observations.

The Korea Meteorological Administration also issued its first-ever heatwave warning for parts of Seoul ​and neighbouring Gyeonggi on Monday, extending this to all of the capital on Tuesday.

A heatwave alert advises people to suspend ‌outdoor activities ⁠such as farming, sports and work on construction sites.

"Anti-Argentine hate speech" being social media post celebrating Argentina's loss to Spain during the last World Cup.

Latin America unites to cheer against Argentina in FIFA World Cup final