Iran, Oman agree on new entry, exit routes for Strait of Hormuz

Tehran/Doha: Iran and Oman have finalised arrangements for proposed new entry and exit routes through the Strait of Hormuz, but Tehran has made it clear that the agreement does not amount to an immediate reopening of the strategic waterway.

Iranian officials will present the details of the arrangement to Gulf countries during a regional meeting in Muscat on Monday.

According to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, the agreement followed several rounds of technical and diplomatic discussions between Tehran and Muscat. A source familiar with Iran’s negotiating team said the talks concluded with a final understanding in late August.

Under the proposed arrangement, vessels entering the Gulf would use a route located entirely within Iranian territorial waters. Part of the route designated for vessels leaving the Gulf would also pass through Iranian waters, the source said.

The new navigation system would be administered under Iranian arrangements. Once it comes into force, the southern route through the strait would be shut, despite US demands that it be kept open.

The Iranian source said the agreement should not be interpreted as a decision to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran has presented Washington with seven conditions for restoring passage, and the waterway will remain closed until those conditions are met.

“Reopening depends entirely on the behaviour of the United States,” the source said, according to Xinhua news agency.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the foreign ministers of Gulf countries would meet in Oman on Monday to discuss regional developments and the outcome of the Iran-Oman talks on safe maritime routes.

Baghaei said Iran and Iraq were also expected to participate in the meeting. The discussions, he added, would focus partly on ensuring the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

He said Iran and Oman had held the consultations in their capacity as the two countries bordering the strategic waterway.

In a joint statement issued late last month, Iran and Oman said they had discussed a phased proposal that included the creation of a temporary joint shipping corridor through the strait.

Iran restricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz after US-Israeli strikes on February 28, while US forces imposed a naval blockade on vessels travelling to or from Iranian ports.

The waterway connects the Gulf with the Arabian Sea and is a major international route for oil and gas shipments. Iran and Oman occupy opposite shores of the strait and have continued talks on maritime security and navigation.

(Inputs from IANS)