Iran's Foreign Minister: Negotiations with Oman on the Strait of Hormuz Nearing Completion
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said negotiations between Iran and Oman on maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz are nearing completion.
Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi speaks at a conference in Rasht, northern Iran. File photo: THX/VNA
According to a post on Araghchi's Telegram channel, cited by Mehr News, at the government session the same day, Iran's Foreign Minister reported on the current state of negotiations with Oman. He said the discussions had made significant progress, were in their final stage and close to completion.
Iran's Foreign Minister stressed that consultations between the two sides are still ongoing within the framework of discussions on issues related to this strategic waterway, and that the negotiation process is approaching its final stage.
Earlier, Fars news agency reported that Iran had not yet allowed the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and denied the claim by Israel's N12 television channel that Tehran had accepted Qatari mediators' proposal to resume operations on this waterway.
For his part, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the negotiations were a bilateral activity and "not related to any other party," according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
Baqaei said: "The fact that Iran and Oman are conducting negotiations to build a mechanism to protect our interests is not a new matter and has been discussed for a long time."
According to Baqaei, based on Article 5 of the memorandum with the United States to end the war, the future management of the Strait of Hormuz will be undertaken by Iran, in consultation with Oman and through dialogue with countries in the region.
He said the northern route of the strait was "completely safe" during the first 22 or 23 days of the memorandum's implementation, and vessels continued to pass along that route during that time.
Baqaei said the United States then launched a military attack against Iran before the end of the 30-day deadline to restore maritime activity to its pre-war state.
According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, the southern route contributed to regional instability and harmed Iran's national interests, so Tehran would not accept that option. He said: "The agreed route will be neither the current northern route nor the southern route, but a new route on which the two sides reach consensus."
He stressed that the common understanding between Iran and Oman on a new route "does not mean that the Strait of Hormuz will be opened or remain closed."
Baqaei affirmed: "The Islamic Republic of Iran acts on the basis of the country's interests and considerations, and will not change its decisions under threats or pressure from any party."
Oman has not yet commented on the Iranian statements.
Meanwhile, Baqaei also warned countries in the region not to facilitate any potential U.S. attack on Iran.
He said: "All friends and neighboring countries need to understand that the consequences of any U.S. attack on Iran's infrastructure will affect the entire region."
He also argued that allowing an "aggressor" access to military bases or logistics facilities would cause that country to be regarded by Tehran as a participant in an act of aggression.
According to him, Britain, Bulgaria and Ukraine have contacted Tehran in the past 24 hours, affirming they would "not play any role in a potential U.S. attack on Iran."
U.S. President Donald Trump said on August 1 that he had canceled plans to launch a military attack on Iran after Tehran and "other Middle Eastern countries" asked for more time to finalize the framework of a peace deal. He also said Israel had joined this commitment.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump announced that the parties had agreed on the "scope" of a potential agreement, including the "immediate, full and complete" reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and the end of Iran's nuclear threat.
Bảo Hà/Tin tức and Dân tộc newspapers.
