Iran has said it has reached an agreement with Oman on a shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, with the deal now in its final stages.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei did not provide further details about the agreement but said it was “in the final stages,” reports BBC.
However, Baqaei cautioned that the agreement with Oman would not guarantee safe navigation through the strategic waterway, arguing that security continued to be affected by the US blockade of Iran’s ports. Neither the United States nor Oman has commented on the proposal.
Tehran has largely blocked the Strait of Hormuz since the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February. The strait normally carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump warned that Iran would be “hit very hard” if the strait did not reopen “very soon”.
His remarks followed comments by senior US officials, who said negotiations had advanced and could allow shipments to resume later this week. Iran, however, has maintained that it is not negotiating with the United States and has no plans to do so.
Reopening the Strait of Hormuz has remained a key issue in discussions involving the two countries and mediators.
In his statement, Baqaei said the “geographical coordinates of the route” had been agreed with Oman.
“The factors making the Strait of Hormuz insecure still exist on the part of the United States, particularly the naval blockade and other aggressive and threatening actions against Iran and its interests,” he said, according to Iran’s official Irna news agency.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi later told Irna that the new route would be temporary and could remain open for two to four months. He did not provide any further details.
