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Dalton Daily
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Iran and U.S. harden terms as Hormuz tanker attacks mount
Tehran says it mined a shipping lane; Washington disputes it. Indirect talks have stalled, with oil near $109.
DUBAI — Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Tuesday that naval mines set three tankers ablaze on a southern Hormuz route Tehran calls unauthorized. U.S. Central Command called the claim false and said it has cleared the international channels of mines. Separately, the UK maritime monitor UKMTO reported a tanker hit by an unidentified projectile off Oman on Oct. 21. Iran's foreign minister said the strait will stay closed to many ships until Washington accepts Tehran's terms. Those reportedly include lifting the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and a return to the June memorandum. Pakistan and Qatar are mediating indirectly. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called a deal extremely difficult. Iraq also shut a major border crossing with Iran on Oct. 21, amid reports of U.S. pressure. Crisis Group sees escalation as likelier than a breakthrough. The U.S. midterms are Nov. 3.
Why it mattersAbout a fifth of the world's oil normally passes through Hormuz, and renewed fighting would hit fuel prices and the U.S. political calendar.
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The World
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Business & Markets
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Technology & Science
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Ideas
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Arts & Culture
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