Iran, Oman agree on details of new entry and exit routes for Strait of Hormuz, says report
Iran and Oman have agreed on details of new entry and exit routes for the Strait of Hormuz and will brief Gulf countries on the outcome of their consultations at a regional meeting in Muscat on Monday, Iranian officials said on Saturday.The development comes amid heightened tensions in West Asia, with the strategic waterway remaining a key focus of regional and international attention.Citing a source close to Iran’s negotiating team, semi-official Tasnim news agency said the understanding was reached after “intensive technical and diplomatic talks between Iran and Oman, which culminated in a final agreement in late August.”Under the proposed arrangement, the entry route from the Gulf “lies entirely within Iran’s territorial waters”, while part of the exit route also falls “within Iranian territorial waters”, Tasnim news said quoting sources.The source added that the routes would operate under Iranian arrangements and that the southern route would be closed once the new system becomes operational. The United States had insisted that the southern route be opened, the source said.“The understanding in no way means that the Strait of Hormuz will be opened,” the source said, adding that Iran had seven conditions for reopening the waterway and had conveyed them to the United States.The source said the strait would remain closed unless those conditions were implemented, with any reopening depending entirely on US actions.Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Friday that foreign ministers of Gulf littoral states would meet in Oman on Monday to discuss regional issues, including the Iran-Oman consultations on designating safe routes through the Strait of Hormuz.Speaking to Al Jazeera on Saturday, Baghaei said the meeting would “hopefully” include foreign ministers from Gulf countries, Iran and Iraq.“As part of the agenda, we are going to brief the delegations about the results of the Iran and Oman consultations regarding the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz,” he said, adding that the consultations were held by Iran and Oman as “the two coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz.”Late last month, Iran and Oman said in a joint statement that they had exchanged views on a proposed phased framework that included establishing a temporary joint shipping corridor in the strait.According to the Bahrain News Agency, Bahrain’s foreign ministry said it would not participate in any collective meeting involving Iran until diplomatic relations between the two countries are restored.Bahrain severed diplomatic ties with Iran in January 2016. The ministry said it had conveyed its position to Oman through official channels, while stressing that this did not diminish its appreciation of Oman’s efforts or its commitment to dialogue.It said dialogue could not be based on ignoring facts, pointing to attacks on Bahrain’s infrastructure and civilian sites. The ministry also said the reported targeting of Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline showed that civilian and economic facilities remained under threat.The Strait of Hormuz connects the Gulf with the Arabian Sea and is one of the world’s most important routes for oil and gas shipments. Iran and Oman sit on opposite sides of the waterway and have continued consultations on maritime security and navigation.Following US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, Tehran restricted passage through the strait, while US forces imposed a naval blockade targeting vessels travelling to and from Iranian ports.
