BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 8. Iran and Oman are very close to an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz.
This was announced by Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi at a press conference organized by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian with reporters today.
"Discussions between Iran and Oman regarding the management and legal mechanism of the Strait of Hormuz regarding the determination of the route of passage through the Strait of Hormuz are ongoing, and the two countries are very close to an agreement. However, the opening of the Strait of Hormuz is possible with other conditions, including compensation for violations of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding by the U.S," he noted.
Araghchi said that previously, there was a Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in the Strait of Hormuz. However, according to Iran, this scheme is no longer acceptable for the passage of ships. A new Traffic Separation Scheme should be envisaged. Of course, there are many technical and legal complexities in this regard.
"Taking into account the technical and legal complexity, negotiations are currently underway on a temporary route. A new temporary route will be considered as the basis of the main route. Discussions were held between the military and naval forces of Iran and Oman on this issue based on existing maps. When these discussions are concluded, a new route will be determined," he pointed out.
The minister also said that Article 5 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the U.S. was being implemented by Iran. It was decided to normalize the situation in the Strait of Hormuz within two months. Within two weeks, the passage of ships had normalized to 60%. However, the U.S. side intended to create new routes in the Strait of Hormuz. Despite the warnings of the Iranian side, the other side tried to undermine the management of the Strait of Hormuz. Accordingly, the violation of the Memorandum of Understanding by Iran is unacceptable.
Meanwhile, the latest escalation in U.S.-Iranian relations began on July 8. On that day, for the first time since the signing of the memorandum between Washington and Tehran, the U.S. military carried out several waves of strikes on Iranian territory, claiming that this was in response to an attack on a merchant ship in the Strait of Hormuz. On the same day, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the end of the ceasefire with Iran. In response, Tehran began attacking U.S. facilities in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, and Oman. The Iranian side currently states that the Strait of Hormuz has been closed.
