Iran says negotiations with Oman over Strait of Hormuz in final stages
Tehran’s announcement comes after Trump said US would hold off on new Iran attack in hope of quick deal. Iran’s foreign minister says negotiations with
Tehran’s announcement comes after Trump said US would hold off on new Iran attack in hope of quick deal. Iran’s foreign minister says negotiations with Oman on the Strait of Hormuz are entering their “final stages”, as Tehran insists the vital waterway will never return to its pre-war status. In a post on Telegram on Sunday, Abbas Araghchi said that in a report he presented to the cabinet, he described the negotiations between Tehran and Muscat as “on the way to being finalised”. Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, said that Tehran and Muscat were close to reaching a deal on a new maritime route through Hormuz, separate from existing corridors. “We are now going to reach an understanding on a route acceptable to both sides – neither the northern route nor the southern route – but one that respects the sovereign rights of both sides and safeguards our national interests and security,” Baghaei said in an interview with state television. Muscat did not immediately comment on the matter. Both Iran’s and Oman’s territorial waters border the Strait of Hormuz, the key waterway through which about 20 percent of global oil consumption is normally shipped. Details of the new route were not immediately clear, but Iran has effectively maintained control over the strait since the outbreak of war.
On February 28, the US and Israel launched strikes aimed at destroying Iran’s missile programme, preventing a nuclear weapon and cutting off support for allied armed groups. A June ceasefire collapsed within weeks in a dispute over shipping routes through Hormuz and fighting reignited in July. Baghaei earlier said, “an understanding between Iran and Oman on a new route has nothing to do with whether the Strait of Hormuz is reopened or remains closed”. He blamed the US for the closure and accused Washington of breaching its commitments, according to Iran’s Fars news outlet. “The strait was closed because of the United States’ breach of its commitments, its naval blockade of Iran and all the hostile measures that the United States has taken against the Islamic Republic of Iran during this period,” he said. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the US would become the “cornerstone” of Tehran’s future foreign relations. “We must strive to make the enemy abide by what it signed. The security of our country, the region and our allies will be enhanced by this memorandum,” Pezeshkian said on X. Hassam Ghashghavi, spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s national security commission, said that mediators were trying to revive the June MoU, and were aware that Hormuz remained the central issue, Iranian news outlet SNN reported.
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