On July 11, 2026 (Day 135 of the Iran-Israel-US war, Operation Epic Fury / Saturday), the war’s two futures shared one day: the table by morning, the torch by night. THE TABLE: Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi flew to Muscat and met his Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr Albusaidi — the first face-to-face diplomacy since the ceasefire broke — discussing, per the official Oman News Agency, “appropriate mechanisms for ensuring the safe passage of ships” in the strait “in light of the circumstances and repercussions arising from recent developments,” and agreeing to continue at the technical and political levels. Around the meeting, the shape of a possible settlement surfaced: Oman has drafted a two-corridor proposal, a source told CNN — a Southern Corridor through Omani territorial waters with free navigation under pre-war conditions, and a Northern Corridor through Iranian waters requiring prior Iranian approval but, crucially, no tolls. Both corridors would remain open; the draft is not finalized; and Iran, per Israeli reporting, has not yet given its approval. It is the memorandum’s “future administration” clause, finally reduced to a map — Iran offered recognition of its lane without the revenue, Washington offered a protected corridor without having to shoot for it. THE TORCH: at 22:40 UTC, the Cyprus-flagged, UAE-owned container ship GFS Galaxy was struck by an unidentified projectile nine nautical miles east of Oman — her stern hit, extensive engine-room damage, a fire aboard, the crew abandoning ship to a lifeboat (UKMTO). CENTCOM reported one civilian crew member missing — an Indian national, per Delhi’s foreign ministry, with Oman’s maritime authority rescuing 23 — the fourth Iranian attack on a commercial vessel since July 6, after the Al Rekayyat, the Wedyan and the Cyprus Prosperity. The IRGC’s account: a “warning shot” at a vessel using an “unauthorized route” that had ignored instructions, one of several ships “encouraged by foreign actors” to defy the approved lane — and then the declaration this tracker has watched for since June: THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ IS CLOSED, “until further notice and until the end of US interference in the region,” no vessels permitted to transit. Iran’s signature escalation, played at last — hours after its foreign minister sat at a table built to prevent exactly this. THE ANSWER: at 7:15 p.m. ET, CENTCOM began what it called its third round of strikes this week: “Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces blatantly attacked M/V GFS Galaxy… Iran was provided yet another opportunity to demonstrate adherence to the Memorandum of Understanding after being held accountable for earlier attacks on commercial vessels but has again failed.” Defense Secretary Hegseth’s gloss: “Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay.” Iranian media reported explosions in Bandar Abbas and on Qeshm Island; later reports described the ports as calm. THE VOICE: Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei — unseen through six funeral ceremonies and barred from the burial — broke his post-burial silence with his first statement since his father went into the ground: Iranians would avenge his killing. Still no image, no voice, no appearance — vengeance by press release, from a leader whose security services will not let him stand at a graveside. THE PLOT: the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, revealed the intelligence behind Friday’s “1000 missiles” threat: “Israeli intelligence tipped off our side… that there was a very specific plot that was designed to take out President Trump.” THE MARGINS: US gasoline held at $3.88, seventy cents of war premium; Washington’s Friday demand — that Iran publicly declare the strait open — received its answer in the IRGC’s closure proclamation, the exact opposite words. Net assessment: Saturday proved the two tracks can run through the same capital on the same day — Iran’s foreign minister negotiating safe passage in Muscat while its Revolutionary Guard burned a boxship and closed the strait. Either the state is bargaining with maximum leverage, or its factions are fighting over the wheel; both readings now carry a missing seafarer’s name. The fourth ship makes the fourth strike round inevitable, and the closure declaration converts the war’s central question from who administers the strait to whether anyone can reopen it.