The Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that Iran and Oman were close to reaching an agreement on a new shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, but that it wouldn’t guarantee that the waterway would be opened to all traffic.
“If certain third parties do not obstruct the process, the two countries are also in the final stage of reviewing and drafting a joint statement covering the main points of agreement,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, according to Iran’s PressTV.
Baghaei added that the agreement “cannot in itself be interpreted as meaning the Strait has become safe for passing vessels” since the restrictions on the waterway have been imposed due to US military aggression, and the US blockade of Iranian ports remains in effect.
According to media reports, the potential agreement would involve inbound ships traveling through the Strait on the Iranian side while outbound ships leaving the Persian Gulf would stay close to Oman.
Unnamed Iranian officials told The New York Times that the agreement would involve “service fees” for the environmental impact of shipping, cargo-ship and tanker security, and staffing, and that the revenue would be divided between Iran and Oman. A US official speaking to the outlet denied that there would be any kind of toll.
In recent days, Trump administration officials have spoken positively about the prospect of a deal over the Strait of Hormuz, though President Trump has continued to threaten Iran with destruction if an agreement isn’t reached soon.
Over the weekend, Trump said that he decided to hold off on launching an attack that would have inflicted “military terror” on Iran at levels not seen since World War II.
