Iran-Oman Route Deal Does Not Mean Hormuz Will Reopen: Baghaei

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has said that a possible agreement with Oman on a new shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz would not automatically mean the strategic waterway will reopen.

Speaking to the national broadcaster on Thursday, Baghaei said Iran and Oman are working on a new Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) to create a route acceptable to both countries while protecting their sovereign rights, national interests and security.

“We are now going to reach an understanding on the route that both sides agree on, neither the northern route nor the southern route, but a route that determines the sovereign rights of both sides and ensures our national interests and security, in the form of a new Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS),” he said.

Baghaei described the talks with Oman as progressing well and praised Oman’s cooperation. However, he made clear that an agreement on the new route would be separate from any decision to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“I should also say that the understanding between Iran and Oman regarding the new route has nothing to do with the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz; this understanding is a necessary condition, but not a sufficient one,” he said.

According to Baghaei, Iran’s restrictions on the waterway were not imposed because of Oman. He blamed the restrictions on US aggression, what he described as an illegal maritime blockade and other hostile measures against Iran.

“Therefore, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is a completely different equation,” he added.

Baghaei also said Iran does not intend to return the Strait of Hormuz to the conditions that existed before February 28, when the US and the Israeli regime launched what Tehran described as aggression against Iran.

“There is absolutely no intention for the situation in the Strait of Hormuz to return to the conditions before February 28,” he said.

“We had a very difficult experience over these past few months; therefore, we must ensure that Hormuz is not exploited by the aggressor parties against us.”

He said any future arrangement must fully respect Iran’s sovereign rights and stressed that the talks with Oman are strictly bilateral.

“Our talks with Oman are bilateral talks and have nothing to do with anyone else,” Baghaei stressed.

Iran has restricted transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route through which roughly one-fifth of global oil demand passes, following the start of the US-Israeli aggression in late February.

On June 17, the presidents of Iran and the US signed a Pakistan-brokered Memorandum of Understanding remotely, aimed at ending the war. Article 5 of the understanding placed responsibility for reopening and managing the strait with Iran. However, Tehran says later US measures, including the establishment of an unsafe corridor near Omani shores and renewed US aerial attacks, violated the commitments and led Iran to reimpose restrictions.

Baghaei rejected claims that Iran’s decisions could be influenced by US threats or statements from foreign officials.

“Iran is in no way influenced by the harsh rhetoric of others, and the interests and expediency of the country are not going to be affected by threats from US officials,” he said.

“What is important is that the power and authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran are such that the other side knows that if they engage in adventurism, they will certainly receive an appropriate response from us,” Baghaei said.

He also accused the United States of repeatedly disrupting negotiations instead of helping them move forward.

“Whenever the United States has intervened or threatened, it has actually caused disruption in the negotiations; US intervention and threats have never played a facilitating role in these negotiations,” he said.

Baghaei added that Iran has become accustomed to external pressure and will continue to focus on protecting its national interests and security.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has become hardened by all these threats, intimidations and pressures. We are focused on our national interests and certainly we are not going to make Iran’s national interests and national security a bargaining chip for the rhetoric and harsh words of others,” he said.