Iran Reaches Agreement With Oman On Shipping Route Via Strait Of Hormuz

Iran has reached an agreement with Oman regarding the trade routes to be used by ships for entering and leaving the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said that a joint statement on the temporary arrangement was ‘in its final stages.’

However, he also added that the new route would not guarantee the safety of ships in the waterway, unless the U.S continues to impose a naval blockade on Iranian ports.

Tehran will also not accept foreign interference in the functioning of the waterway, said Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, who mentioned that once the deal is approved by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, it will be used for two to four months.

Reopening the Strait of Hormuz has become the main concern of U.S President Donald Trump as he aims to bring down prices of fuel beore November’s mid-term elections.

Officials hope that a deal between Oman and Iran regarding the Hormuz shipping route would also help revive the June memorandum of understanding signed by Tehran and Washington.

The MOU was to extend the ceasefire and allow shipping to return to its prewar levels without payment of any fees.

It was also to lay foundations for talks on a final settlement to end the war, including a deal on Iran’s nuclear programme, but it revealed that the U.S and Iran fought to control the Strait.

Gharibabadi said that Iran was not negotiating with the U.S directly, but had received messages from Washington about the Trump Administration signalling their willingness to fulfil their commitments.

He also said that Iran had not yet decided whether it would enter the second phase of talks with the U.S to revive the June MOU, which broke down over which routes should be used by ships to cross the Hormuz, leading to attacks by both sides.

Iran and Oman have been holding talks since then to decide which routes should be used, which would be acceptable to all.

Recently, it was also announced that ships entering the strait would pass through Iranian waters, while those leaving the waterway would use the route along the Omani coastline.

Iran has decided to send oil tankers through the Strait first, to ensure it remains free of naval mines before it is opened to other commercial vessels.

When asked about Iran charging any fee from ships, Gharibabadi said that this decision depends on the country’s authorities ‘to enter a second phase’ of negotiations with the U.S.

If a deal is signed, and the Strait of Hormuz opens again, the U.S would have to remove the naval blockade of Iranian Ports and reinstate the waiver allowing Iran to sell oil and petroleum-related products.