Iran, Oman Near Agreement on New Strait of Hormuz Shipping Mechanism: Araghchi

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said Tehran and Muscat are “very close” to reaching an agreement on a new mechanism for managing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. He said negotiations on the legal framework, management of the waterway and designation of shipping routes are ongoing, but stressed that the full reopening of the strategic strait also depends on the United States fulfilling its obligations under the Islamabad memorandum of understanding.

Araghchi said Iran and Oman are discussing a temporary navigation route because of the technical and legal complexities involved, with the aim of using it as the basis for a permanent arrangement. He added that Iranian and Omani military and naval officials had already held discussions using existing maritime maps and that the new route would be determined once those talks are concluded.

The Iranian foreign minister accused Washington of violating the Islamabad MoU and attempting to establish alternative routes through the Strait of Hormuz in a bid to undermine Iran’s management of the waterway. He said Iran had been implementing Article Five of the memorandum, under which shipping conditions were expected to return to normal within a month, adding that vessel traffic had reached around 60 percent of normal levels within two weeks of the interim agreement. Araghchi stressed that any violation of the memorandum or interference in Iran’s management of the strait remained unacceptable to Tehran.