TEHRAN: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Wednesday that Tehran and Oman had agreed to share revenues earned from the Strait of Hormuz, as the two countries worked on a temporary framework to restore commercial shipping through the strategic waterway.
“During negotiations with Oman, some agreements were made regarding each country’s share of the waters of the Strait and Iran’s and Oman’s shares of its revenues,” Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebi said.
The comments came a day after the foreign ministers of Iran and Oman held talks in Tehran on a proposed transit corridor through Hormuz and a mine-clearing project in the waterway.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said separately that a potential agreement with Oman would exclude military vessels from using the strait.
Under the proposed arrangement, commercial vessels entering the Arabian Gulf would travel through Iranian waters, while outbound ships would follow a route passing partly through Iranian and Omani waters, Gharibabadi told state television late Tuesday.
He said the routes would be temporary and that Tehran and Muscat would have 30 to 60 days to discuss a permanent maritime traffic plan.
Iran and Oman, the two coastal states bordering the strait, have been discussing the future of navigation through Hormuz for weeks. Tehran has said the geographical coordinates of a route envisaged by the two countries have already been agreed.
But efforts to permanently end the war between Iran and the United States have stalled, with Tehran’s demand to charge ships for passage through Hormuz emerging as a key point of contention. Washington has flatly rejected the proposal.
Iran has blockaded the vital waterway — which normally carries about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas exports — since the war with the United States broke out on February 28.
Washington has responded with a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports and has threatened fresh sanctions aimed at increasing pressure on Tehran.
Mohebi accused the United States of “obstructing work” to finalize the agreement with Oman, while President Donald Trump has also threatened Oman with military action if it “gets in the way” of Washington’s objectives.
Iranian officials have insisted that the strait will not fully reopen until the United States meets Tehran’s demands, including lifting its naval blockade, removing oil sanctions and unfreezing Iranian assets abroad.
Mohebi said Iran would only “open the strait” if Washington agreed to those conditions.
The dispute over the waterway comes as diplomatic efforts continue to ease tensions. Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani is expected in Tehran on Thursday for talks with Iranian officials on ways to de-escalate tensions and create conditions for dialogue.
The discussions are also expected to address freedom of navigation through Hormuz and the possibility of restoring the pre-war status quo.
• With AFP & AP
