Iran, Oman continue talks on Strait of Hormuz — ambassador
Iran has been the guarantor of security in the Strait of Hormuz for decades, Nassereddin Heidari said
BANGKOK, August 14. /TASS/. Iran and Oman continue negotiations on creating mechanisms to ensure safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's Ambassador to Thailand Nassereddin Heidari told TASS in an interview.
"Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, maintaining the security of navigation is of paramount importance. The strait is part of the territorial waters of both Iran and Oman. We are seeking a way to ensure the long-term security of this strait. Negotiations with Oman in this regard are still ongoing. We believe that the intervention of third-party countries can complicate the issue further," he said.
"Iran has been the guarantor of security in the Strait of Hormuz for decades. The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding stipulates that passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be carried out based on Iranian arrangements. However, we witnessed that before the ink on the US president's signature dried, the US secretary of state paid visits to some countries in the southern Persian Gulf and sabotaged the Memorandum of Understanding," the Iranian ambassador added.
The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28. In June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding providing for an immediate 60-day halt to hostilities on all fronts. The United States and Iran then held talks in Burgenstock, Switzerland, mediated by Doha and Islamabad, on implementing the memorandum.
However, on the night of July 8, the United States resumed large-scale strikes on Iran, accusing it of violating the terms of the agreement regarding the Strait of Hormuz.
On August 2, US President Donald Trump said he had agreed to cancel a planned major strike on Iran to reach a deal with Tehran. According to Trump, Iran and Middle Eastern countries had asked Washington to refrain from an attack because the sides had agreed on the outline of a future agreement.
On August 5, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said that Iran and Oman had agreed on the geographic coordinates of a new route through the Strait of Hormuz. He stressed that a future agreement between Tehran and Muscat did not imply the immediate opening of the strait, and that this issue depended on US actions.