The Media Line: Iran Says Hormuz Shipping Deal With Oman Nears Final Stage  

Iran Says Hormuz Shipping Deal With Oman Nears Final Stage  

By The Media Line Staff  

Iran said Wednesday that it and Oman are in the final stages of drafting a joint statement on a proposed navigation corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, while maintaining that any reopening of the strategic waterway will depend on changes in US actions against Tehran.  

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Tehran and Muscat have spent the past two months negotiating a safe commercial shipping route through the strait, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.  

“The competent authorities in our country have reviewed the proposal from technical, legal, security and environmental perspectives,” Baghaei said.  

He described the talks as “professional” and “productive,” saying the two countries had agreed on the geographic coordinates of the proposed route. “If no external party obstructs this process, the joint statement between the two countries, including the main considerations and points of agreement, is in its final stages of review and drafting,” he said.  

Earlier Wednesday, Iranian media reported that the announcement had been delayed after US President Donald Trump threatened military action if an agreement was not reached. Although Iran denied the United States was involved in the negotiations, it confirmed ongoing talks with Oman.  

Iranian state television reported that the discussions center on establishing a “middle corridor” through the Strait of Hormuz to be controlled by Iran and Oman. Another state media outlet said the negotiations “have nothing to do with the United States” and that the waterway would not be reopened immediately because of what Tehran described as ongoing US violations.  

“The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz depends on a change in US behavior and the correction of its violations,” state broadcaster IRIB said.  

Baghaei also said an agreement with Oman alone would not ensure safe navigation, arguing that security conditions remain linked to the US naval blockade and other actions against Iran.  

President Trump, however, told Fox News on Tuesday that Washington is participating in the negotiations.  

“The Strait is going to be open very soon, or they are going to get hit very hard, and then the strait is going to be open,” Trump said. The Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly one-quarter of global seaborne oil trade, was effectively closed by Iran after US and Israeli strikes in late February.