Iran says it has reached an agreement with Oman on a route for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. This was announced by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, as reported by infohub.kz.
Baqaei said the agreement is "in the final stages" but did not disclose specific details. However, he warned that the agreement with Oman alone cannot ensure safe navigation through the strait, arguing that security remains impacted by the US blockade of Iran's ports. The US has not yet officially responded to this proposal.
Since the US and Israel attacked Iran in late February, Tehran has largely blocked the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes. As a result, global oil prices have been unstable. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump warned that Iran would be "hit very hard" if the strait did not open "very soon."
Trump's statement came after senior US officials said talks had progressed to allow shipments to potentially resume later this week. However, Iran has denied negotiating with the US and stated it has no plans to do so.
The reopening of the strait has been a key topic in discussions between the two countries and with mediators. In his statement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said the "geographical coordinates of the route" had been agreed with Oman.
"The factors making the Strait of Hormuz insecure still exist on the part of the United States, particularly the naval blockade and other aggressive actions against Iran," he said, according to Iran's official IRNA news agency.
The US has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports in the region, while Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have been blockading Saudi Arabia's ports in the Red Sea since 20 July.