Iran, US and Oman say they're nearing a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz

Fact-check index: 58/100 — The article's core claims (progress reported, US-Iran differences on details, Oman working on a reopening plan) are directly supported by the two cited headlines, but several specifics (commercial shipping framing, Oman's 'back-channel' history, the tanker-strikes/missing-seafarer link, and the claim that neither outlet specifies sticking points) go beyond what the brief source material actually establishes.

• Iran, the US and Oman say they are making progress on a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping — Sky News headline confirms Iran/US progress on Hormuz negotiations and AP headline confirms Iran/Oman work on a reopening plan, but neither headline explicitly says the plan is for 'commercial shipping' specifically, and the article merges two separate headlines into one three-party claim not stated as such in either source.
• Washington and Tehran still differ on key details of the arrangement, per Sky News — Directly matches the Sky News headline: 'Tehran and US report progress on Strait of Hormuz negotiations - but differ on key details.'
• Oman is working directly on the reopening plan, according to AP News — Matches AP headline: 'Iran and Oman working on plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.'
• Oman has long served as a back-channel between Washington and Tehran — This historical characterization is not contained in either supplied headline; it is plausible/well-known background but not established by the cited source material.
• The talks follow days of tanker strikes and a fire that left a seafarer missing — Not mentioned in either of the two source headlines provided; this claim relies entirely on the outlet's own earlier article, which is not part of the source material being checked here.
• Neither Sky News nor AP specifies what the unresolved sticking points are, and neither government has detailed its position publicly — Plausible given only headline-level source material was reviewed, but this is a claim about the absence of detail in the full articles, which cannot be confirmed or denied from headlines alone.
• Hypothesis that Oman's role signals a preference for face-saving, gradual de-escalation — Explicitly framed as speculative analysis ('Hypothesis') rather than stated fact, and appropriately hedged with a counterpoint; reasonable inference but not something the sources assert.