Iran and Oman are close to an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz

Iran and Oman are close to an agreement on a new shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz, but its opening depends on other conditions as well.

As reported by the Telegram channel of Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this was stated by the head of the ministry, Abbas Araghchi, at a press conference on Saturday.

"Negotiations with Oman on the legal mechanism for managing the Strait of Hormuz and determining the shipping route continue. We are very close to an agreement, however the opening of the strait depends on other conditions as well, including the elimination of the consequences of violations of the Islamabad Memorandum committed by the United States," he said.

According to Araghchi, the previously operating Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) no longer satisfies Iran. A new scheme needs to be developed, which involves significant technical and legal complexities.

"Given these complexities, a temporary route is currently being discussed. It will remain in effect until a new permanent scheme is agreed upon and will serve as its basis. Military and naval representatives of Iran and Oman have held negotiations based on the available maps. After the results of these negotiations are summarized, a new route will be determined," the minister noted.

Araghchi also accused the United States of violating the Islamabad Memorandum, stating that each such case must be examined separately.

"Iran was fulfilling the fifth point of the memorandum, according to which shipping was supposed to return to normal levels within one month. Within two weeks, its intensity reached 60% of the normal level. However, the Americans, despite Iran's warnings, began seeking to create new routes in the Strait of Hormuz, attempting to call into question Iran's role in managing the strait. Violation of the memorandum and challenging this role are categorically unacceptable for Tehran," Araghchi said.