BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 10. The Strait of Hormuz was not closed because of a disagreement between Iran and Oman, so it will not be reopened through an agreement between Tehran and Muscat, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday.
“The reason for the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is the military attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran, as well as the provision of supplies for attacks on Iran from bases located along the southern shores of the Persian Gulf,” Baghaei said at a news conference in Tehran.
Baghaei said that, accordingly, determining a shipping route between Iran and Oman was naturally a bilateral matter. He added that any agreement concerning the Strait of Hormuz would inevitably have implications for international shipping by other countries.
“However, this is a bilateral discussion between two littoral countries, conducted with a specific objective,” he said.
“We are currently in a state of war. Under United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3314, a naval blockade is considered an act of aggression. As long as the U.S. naval blockade against Iran and other violations by the United States continue, it will not be possible to say that conditions have emerged for turning the Strait of Hormuz into a safe route,” Baghaei said.
“Therefore, once the U.S. side fulfills its commitments and compensates for the damage inflicted on Iran, we can discuss the next steps,” he added.
Iran and Oman have been working on an agreement to establish shipping arrangements through the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials have said the agreement would define a new route but would not, by itself, guarantee the reopening of the strategic waterway.
The latest escalation in U.S.-Iran relations began on July 8. On that day, the U.S. armed forces carried out several rounds of strikes on Iranian territory, reportedly in response to an attack on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first such strikes since a memorandum was signed between Washington and Tehran. On the same day, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the ceasefire with Iran had been terminated.
In response, Tehran began striking U.S. facilities located in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Iran says the Strait of Hormuz is currently closed.
