Iran said it was nearing a pact with Oman defining new shipping lanes between them through the Strait of Hormuz but repeated that the US must meet other conditions, including compensation and an end to sanctions and military threats, before the strategic waterway is reopened.
The strait, through which about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flowed before the conflict, has been effectively blocked since the US-Israel attacks on Iran on February 28, pushing up oil prices and inflation.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said talks with Oman on arrangements for navigation through the strait were “progressing smoothly and constructively”, with an agreement reached on a shipping route map, while some technical issues on a joint statement remained unresolved.
He said during a weekly press conference in Tehran that the discussions also covered mechanisms for safe navigation, environmental protection, maritime services and combating crime, adding that such services would normally entail receiving payment in return.
On Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said an agreement with Oman was in its “final stages” but stressed that Tehran will not reopen the channel unless the US meets certain demands made by Tehran.
Iran and the US are not engaged in direct talks, and Tehran will not start them as long as Washington breaches an interim deal signed in June, Mr Araghchi said. Messages were being exchanged through intermediaries in the meantime, he added.
