New York, Aug 6 (IANS) Iran and Oman have agreed on the navigation route for opening the Strait of Hormuz, and a joint statement is in the final stages, Tehran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said on Wednesday.
Muscat and Tehran “have already agreed upon geographic coordinates for the navigation route in the Strait of Hormuz, and a joint statement is in the final stages of review and drafting”, IRNA news agency paraphrased his statement.
He added that it would be ready “provided no external party interferes with the process”.
The statement being prepared would be “based on main considerations and points agreed upon during the negotiations”, IRNA quoted him.
There was no public confirmation from Oman about the status of the agreement.
Quoting “informed sources”, Tasnim news agency said the proposed arrangement would allow Iran to oversee inbound maritime traffic through an Iranian-controlled shipping lane while maintaining visibility over outbound traffic and retaining authority to intervene whenever necessary to protect security and navigation.
Earlier IRNA reported that Muscat and Tehran “have focused on replacing separate northern and southern routes with a single intermediate corridor designed to accommodate the interests and security concerns of both coastal states”.
According to media reports, the way into the Gulf would be through a corridor along the Iranian coast, while the exit would be along the Omani side.
They would charge a service fee for facilitating transit, but not a toll, which is illegal under international law and opposed by US President Donald Trump.
The arrangement announced by Iran would bypass the United States, with Tehran saying no other country was involved in the negotiations.
US Treasury Secretary said on Tuesday that he expected the strait to open by Wednesday after President Trump had said it was likely on Tuesday.
Both those timelines have passed without the opening of the strait, which has been mostly closed to shipping carrying about 20 per cent of global petroleum and gas traffic since the bombing of Iran in February by Israel and the US.
–IANS
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