Iran and regional diplomats meet in Oman over Strait of Hormuz navigation amid US demands
Iranian and Middle East officials held talks in Muscat to discuss safe navigation of the Strait of Hormuz after the United States asked Tehran for a public pledge to keep the waterway open, while exploring a possible median lane route.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi in Muscat on Saturday to discuss safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, state media in Tehran reported. The talks, which also involved Qatari officials, focused on responding to a U.S. request that Tehran issue a public statement confirming the strait is open for commerce and pledging not to target ships.
"They’re either going to give us that statement, or we’re not going to have a good outcome," a U.S. official told reporters on Friday.
Negotiators considered a proposal for a "median lane" that would allow vessels to travel along a central route, a compromise that could differ from the U.S. preference for a southern route along the Omani coast and Tehran’s preference for ships to stay close to the Iranian shoreline.
Iran’s UN ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, warned that if the United States violated a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding, Iran would consider itself released from its obligations under that agreement.
The discussions occur after the United States conducted air strikes on Iranian targets on July 8 and 9, which Iran’s Health Ministry said caused 17 deaths and 115 injuries. Commercial traffic through the strait has sharply declined, with Marine Traffic data showing only 22 vessels on July 9, down from 30 the previous day, and as few as 14 ships on Friday. Most ships that did transit chose routes near the Iranian coast, while only one vessel used the Omani coastal route where recent attacks have been reported.