CENTCOM declares Hormuz sea lanes mine-free as Iran-Oman agree shipping route

CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper says all internationally recognized sea routes through the Strait of Hormuz are now confirmed free of Iranian mines, calling it a major milestone six months into the war; Axios reports 20-30 tankers now transit nightly, roughly half pre-war volume, with Iran estimated to have struck about 2% of vessels crossing last month. Iran and Oman have gone a step further than the earlier 'outline' stage, agreeing on a shipping route and closing in on arrangements for jointly managing the waterway — but Iranian officials maintain the strait stays effectively closed to unauthorized traffic until Washington lifts its own naval blockade of Iran's coastline, a demand tied to the collapsed June MOU. Trump, meanwhile, announced what he called 'the biggest oil deal in world history' with Venezuela, negotiated by Secretary of State Rubio and Defense Secretary Hegseth with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, giving the US access to Venezuela's untapped oil reserves. Brent crude closed Friday at $88.10/bbl, down more than 5% for the week as traders increasingly treat the Iran standoff as a sanctions dispute rather than a physical supply threat; Goldman Sachs estimates Gulf oil exports have recovered to 15-16 million barrels/day, still below the 22-24M pre-war norm. On Ukraine, Russian losses reached approximately 1,486,600 as of Aug 30 (+1,400), with cumulative UAV losses topping 488,000. In Lebanon, Israel has intensified strikes on Hezbollah near the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge in Nabatieh, while Hezbollah has targeted Israeli troops operating in the area.