KABUL (Pajhwok): Iran says it has reached an agreement with Oman on a route for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, but warned that the arrangement would not guarantee safe navigation through the strategic waterway.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the agreement was in its final stages but did not provide further details, the BBC reported.
He said the “geographical coordinates of the route” had been agreed with Oman, adding that the proposal would allow shipping to pass through the strait.
However, Baqaei said the agreement with Oman alone could not ensure safe navigation, arguing that the security situation remained affected by what he described as a US naval blockade of Iranian ports and other “aggressive and threatening actions” against Iran and its interests.
The United States and Oman have not commented on the proposal.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi later told Iran’s official IRNA news agency that the proposed route would be temporary and could remain open for between two and four months. He did not provide further details.
The Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy corridor, normally carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.
Since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, Tehran has largely blocked the waterway, disrupting international shipping and raising concerns over global energy supplies.
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump warned that Iran would be “hit very hard” if the Strait of Hormuz was not reopened “very soon”.
His remarks came after senior US officials said talks had made progress towards allowing shipments to resume potentially later this week. Iran, however, has maintained that it is not negotiating with the United States and has no plans to do so.
The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz has been a key issue in discussions between the two sides and their mediators.
In June, Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at halting hostilities, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and reaching an agreement to end the conflict within 60 days.
The arrangement quickly collapsed, however, with diplomatic efforts also failing and tit-for-tat attacks resuming only days after the MoU was signed.
The United States has maintained a naval blockade of Iranian ports in the region. Separately, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have imposed a blockade on Saudi ports in the Red Sea since July 20.
The United States and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran on February 28. Iran responded with attacks on Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf, effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz.
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