KABUL (Pajhwok): Iran has resumed talks with neighboring Oman on ensuring safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz as Tehran faces growing economic pressure from the United States amid the wider conflict.
Iran and Oman have held intermittent discussions for several weeks on managing traffic through the strategic waterway, which carried about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before the war began in February, Reuters reported.
Most shipping through the strait has been suspended since the conflict began.
The two countries said on Tuesday they discussed establishing a “joint temporary navigational corridor” through the strait and agreed to clear the waterway of mines.
US President Donald Trump said all mines in the strait had been cleared.
Despite reduced fighting between the United States and Iran, diplomatic efforts to reach a peace deal have stalled and passage through the waterway remains risky.
An oil tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile on Tuesday and disabled about 9 nautical miles (17 km) northeast of Oman’s Ash Shishah, near the strait’s entrance, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said.
Meanwhile, the United States is preparing to return personnel to some diplomatic missions in the Middle East that were evacuated or downsized during the conflict, Reuters reported.
The move indicates Washington sees a lower risk of renewed escalation, although some embassies will initially operate below full capacity.
Earlier this week, the United States threatened to penalize countries continuing to do business with Iran, but said the measures would not be imposed immediately.
Oil prices fell for a second day as traders appeared to discount the sanctions’ impact. Iran condemned the US pressure campaign as “gross lawlessness.”
Thousands of people have been killed in the conflict, most of them in Iran and Lebanon, while the United States and Israel have degraded much of Iran’s conventional military capabilities. The status of Iran’s nuclear programme remains unclear.
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