Araghchi's Gulf Circuit: Oman Hormuz Toll Push, Pakistan Scramble, and IDF Soldier Killed as Lebanon Ceasefire Frays

On Day 58 of the Iran War, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq at al-Baraka Palace in Muscat — his first Gulf visit since the war began — pressing for Omani backing of a Strait of Hormuz toll mechanism while Pakistan raced to revive the collapsed Islamabad diplomatic channel. Trump acknowledged receiving a "much better" Iranian proposal but rejected it as "not enough," insisting talks could happen by phone. In Lebanon, an Israeli soldier was killed and six wounded in a Hezbollah drone strike; Netanyahu ordered the IDF to strike Hezbollah "with force," claiming 46 militants had been killed in two weeks, as the ceasefire extension frayed further.

April 26, 2026 — Day 58 of the Iran War — was defined by Araghchi's intensive diplomatic circuit through the Gulf and Central Asia and by escalating violence on the Lebanon front, even as both sides traded mixed signals about reviving talks. ## Araghchi in Muscat: The Hormuz Toll Gambit Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Muscat on Sunday morning for what Iranian state media described as his first visit to the Gulf since the war began on February 28. At al-Baraka Palace, he met Sultan Haitham bin Tariq for discussions that covered bilateral relations, regional mediation, and the critical question of the Strait of Hormuz. The centrepiece of Araghchi's Oman pitch was a proposed toll-collection mechanism for vessels transiting the Strait. Under the framework Iran presented to mediators, ships passing through the Hormuz — through which a fifth of the world's oil flows in peacetime — would pay transit fees of approximately $1–2 million per vessel, or the crypto equivalent of $1 per barrel of oil carried, with Oman as a potential co-administrator of the scheme. Tehran sought Muscat's support partly because Oman borders the Strait and has served as a trusted back-channel throughout the nuclear negotiating years, and partly to frame the proposal as a regional initiative rather than a unilateral Iranian extraction. Araghchi told reporters the visit was "very fruitful." He briefed Sultan Haitham on Iran's perspective on West Asian developments and expressed appreciation for Oman's "positions in support of dialogue." The Sultan, for his part, emphasised that "prioritising dialogue and diplomacy in addressing issues would help consolidate the foundations of peace" — language that signalled Muscat's continued neutrality while stopping short of endorsing the toll proposal explicitly. Araghchi also conveyed Iran's core ceasefire demand: the United States must end its naval blockade on Iranian ports before substantive negotiations can resume. "American military involvement only causes insecurity and division in the region," he said, urging Gulf nations to adopt independent security arrangements without external interference. ## Back to Islamabad — Then Moscow After the Muscat session, Araghchi returned to Islamabad late Sunday, where Pakistan's political and military leadership had been scrambling since Saturday night to keep the diplomatic channel alive. Pakistani officials declined to specify when American representatives might return, but two senior officials told international media that Islamabad remained committed to its role as go-between for indirect negotiations. Araghchi characterised the Pakistan phase of his tour as having conveyed Tehran's "negotiating demands and concerns regarding American proposals" to Pakistani counterparts. From Islamabad, Araghchi was expected to depart for Moscow, where he was scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The Kremlin confirmed the meeting was on the calendar. Russia has maintained a position of strategic support for Iran throughout the conflict — Moscow signed a 20-year comprehensive partnership treaty with Tehran in January 2025 and has continued economic and diplomatic engagement despite US pressure. For Tehran, the Moscow leg served to show Washington that Iran had alternative power blocs to lean on if the American diplomatic track remained stalled. ## Trump: "A Lot But Not Enough" In Washington, Trump acknowledged that Iran had submitted a new proposal after he cancelled the Witkoff-Kushner trip. He described it as "much better" than previous offers but said Iran was offering "a lot but not enough." He elaborated: "They cannot have a nuclear weapon. That's the bottom line. Everything else we can talk about." Trump maintained his posture that talks could proceed by phone — "if they want to talk, all they have to do is call" — rather than requiring US envoys to travel. He also quipped that "nobody knows who is in charge" in Tehran, a remark Iranian officials dismissed as uninformed. The US Navy confirmed it had intercepted the Sevan, a vessel identified as part of a 19-ship Iranian "shadow fleet" transporting oil and gas products to foreign markets in violation of the naval blockade. The intercept signalled that despite diplomatic noise, the economic pressure campaign against Iran continued unrelenting. ## Lebanon: IDF Soldier Killed, Netanyahu Escalates The Lebanon front delivered the day's sharpest violence. Israeli Army Sergeant Idan Fooks, 19, from Petah Tikva, serving in the 77th Battalion of the 7th Armored Brigade, was killed by a Hezbollah explosive drone in southern Lebanon. Six other soldiers were wounded — one officer and three troops seriously, one moderately, and one lightly. While the wounded were being evacuated, Hezbollah launched two more armed drones at the forces; one was intercepted and the second struck nearby without causing further casualties. Fooks became the third Israeli soldier killed in southern Lebanon since the ceasefire extension took effect on April 23 — a rate of attrition that rendered the ceasefire politically untenable in Tel Aviv. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the IDF "is acting with force" and that "Hezbollah's violations are essentially disintegrating the ceasefire." He cited a two-week toll of 46 Hezbollah militants eliminated by Israeli forces and declared: "We are not prepared to accept this lawlessness. We will do whatever is necessary to restore security to the North." Israel conducted fresh strikes on Yohmor al-Shaqif, killing at least four people, and demolished buildings in Bint Jbeil. Lebanese state media reported a series of additional strikes overnight Saturday, even before Sunday's drone attack. Hezbollah denied initiating the breach. A Hezbollah lawmaker, Ali Fayyad, called the ceasefire "meaningless in light of Israel's insistence on hostile acts" and accused Israeli forces of continuing to violate the agreement through strikes and their presence in contested southern areas. The group maintained that its attacks were defensive responses. Lebanon's Health Ministry updated its count to 2,509 killed and 7,750 wounded by Israeli strikes since fighting resumed on March 2. ## Eastern and Regional Perspectives From Tehran, President Masoud Pezeshkian stated Iran would not enter negotiations "under threats or blockade," repeating his government's position that US maritime restrictions violated the ceasefire agreement and warning of consequences from any renewed confrontation. Russia's state media framed the diplomatic maneuvering as evidence that Iran was building a multi-polar coalition — Russia, Oman, Pakistan — to resist American diktat on the nuclear file. Chinese state media noted that the Hormuz toll proposal, if implemented, would set a precedent affecting global shipping norms that Beijing would need to evaluate carefully, given China's status as a major consumer of Gulf oil. The day ended with the diplomatic picture slightly less hopeless than it had appeared Saturday night — Iran had sent a new proposal, Araghchi was still talking to mediators, and Trump had not escalated militarily — but the Lebanon front was providing a steady drumbeat of casualties that neither side could afford to ignore for much longer.