Iran says Hormuz stays closed despite Oman transit deal
Photo: REUTERS
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the Strait of Hormuz remains closed despite Tehran’s temporary transit agreement with Oman and Washington must return to its commitments under the bilateral memorandum of understanding before Iran completely opens the vital waterway.
This follows recent discussions where top diplomats from Iran and Oman analyzed a proposed framework for a temporary transit corridor through the Strait of Hormuz alongside a joint project to clear mines from this key waterway, which both nations border.
To facilitate these talks, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi arrived in Tehran on Tuesday for negotiations with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, to plan future arrangements for the strait.
Following their meeting, the two officials issued a joint statement shared by Oman, confirming they “discussed a phased framework that could provide a practical and implementable basis for moving forward.”
The vital strait became a volatile flashpoint early in the Middle East war. Both countries have sought to hammer out a formal plan to regulate transit through the passage, in line with the terms laid out in a June US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at ending the war.
The joint statement clarified the scope of their bilateral framework, noting, “The proposed framework includes the establishment of a temporary joint navigation corridor through the Strait of Hormuz and an agreement to implement a joint project to clear the Strait of mines.”
The release added, “Technical negotiations between the two sides will also continue with the aim of reaching an agreement on a permanent navigation corridor and future arrangements for managing the Strait, alongside establishing a mechanism for exchanging information, managing navigation traffic, and providing related navigational and security services.”
In a post on the social media platform X after the meeting, Albusaidi expressed his hope that the two nations would “soon announce” the temporary corridor in the strait. He remarked that “Future management of the strait and a permanent solution will follow in due course.”
During their dialogue, the two ministers also stressed that any arrangements must respect the national sovereignty of their respective countries. Both diplomats “affirmed the importance of holding joint discussions with the Gulf littoral [coastal] states” to guarantee that any eventual agreement complies with international law and respects the sovereignty of states.
This joint statement arrived shortly after US President Donald Trump said on his social platform, Truth Social, that “all mines have been removed and/or detonated from within the International Waters of the Strait of Hormuz”, citing the US Navy.
He added a warning, saying, “Iran has been notified that any ship or boat placing new mines will be immediately and systematically destroyed.”
The conflict erupted after the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February, which prompted Tehran to quickly blockade the Strait of Hormuz and led Washington to impose a counter-blockade on Iranian ports.
The ongoing standoff has largely paralyzed shipping traffic, severely disrupting global oil markets within a waterway that normally carries approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas exports.
While the coastal nations of Iran and Oman have spent weeks discussing the future of navigation through the strait, and Tehran confirms that the geographical coordinates of their planned route “have been agreed upon”, Iranian officials continue to maintain a strict stance.
They insist that they will not fully reopen the strait until the US meets Tehran’s demands, including lifting the naval blockade, dropping oil sanctions, and unfreezing Iranian assets abroad.
Source: Al Jazeera (adapted)
