Iran rejects Oman proposal for joint Hormuz navigation plan
Shafaq News- Tehran
Iran rejected an Omani proposal to divide navigation routes in the Strait of Hormuz equally between the two countries, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Tuesday, arguing that the plan does not address Tehran's security concerns without long-term regional stability.
Speaking to Iranian state television, Gharibabadi noted that Tehran had proposed a temporary arrangement to Oman for reopening the strategic waterway. Under the proposal, ships would travel in one direction through Iranian waters, while part of the opposite route would also pass through Iranian waters.
“The Strait of Hormuz would remain closed if Oman rejected Iran's proposal,” he vowed, adding that Tehran has never recognized the southern navigation route near Oman's coastline.
Oman presented Iran with a proposal for a joint regional mechanism to manage the Strait through voluntary fees, according to Reuters, citing a Gulf source as saying that under the Omani proposal, which has regional backing, Iran would not exercise unilateral control over the vital waterway. The proposal is based on the model of the Strait of Malacca, where users voluntarily contribute to funding navigation services, environmental protection and search-and-rescue operations.
US President Donald Trump said earlier that "good talks" were underway with Iran but military strikes could resume if negotiations fail.
Trump had abruptly halted earlier this week a two-week US bombing campaign aimed at ending Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz. Before the conflict, the waterway carried around one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.
Iran effectively closed the strait to vessels not affiliated with it following a US and Israeli attack on Iran on February 28.
