ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran said on Sunday that it held positive talks with an Omani delegation in Tehran over the management of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway which has been virtually closed due to ongoing conflict between the US and Iran.
The Omani delegation arrived in Tehran on Friday to “establish appropriate mechanisms for managing ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz,” according to Iranian state media.
“On Friday and Saturday, several rounds of talks between Iran and Oman were held at the level of deputy foreign ministers in Tehran,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said in a statement on Sunday, noting that during the talks “the two sides exchanged views on common principles and operational mechanisms for managing safe maritime transit in the Strait of Hormuz.”
“These talks were useful, and progress was made; the Omani delegation left Tehran on Saturday evening, but technical and political consultations between the two sides continue,” Baghaei stated.
The development comes as US President Donald Trump reportedly directed the US military not to conduct new strikes in Iran on Friday, breaking a nearly two-week streak of daily attacks. However, the US naval blockade on Iran continues. The US Central Command said in an overnight statement that it intercepted Iran-linked ships.
The Sultanate of Oman announced in late June the establishment of a temporary shipping transit corridor through the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with the International Maritime Organization (IMO), offering vessels a route through the strategic waterway while reaffirming that navigation will remain free of tolls, stating that it was acting "based on its responsibilities toward the Strait of Hormuz and its importance to the global economy."
The establishment of the corridor was followed by a total Iranian rejection, with Tehran stating that the development contradicts the Islamabad Memorandum agreement signed between Tehran and Washington in June.
The tit-for-tat maritime exchange between Tehran and Washington has restricted movement in the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway that carries about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, while Iran has also imposed tolls on commercial vessels for safe passage.
