The spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry said on Sunday that Tehran and Muscat were close to reaching a deal on a new maritime route through the Strait of Hormuz, separate from the existing corridors.
"We are now going to reach an understanding on a route acceptable to both sides -- neither the northern route nor the southern route -- but one that respects the sovereign rights of both sides and safeguards our national interests and security," Esmaeil Baqaei said in an interview with state television.
Details of the new route were not immediately clear, but Iran has effectively maintained control over the strategic waterway, through which around 20 percent of global oil consumption passes on normal days, since the outbreak of war on February 28.
Earlier, the IRNA state news agency quoted Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as saying that negotiations with Oman, the other littoral state on the Strait, "were on track for finalisation and were going through their final stages", without providing further details.
Muscat did not immediately comment on the matter.
Baqaei, however, said "an understanding between Iran and Oman on a new route has nothing to do with whether the Strait of Hormuz is reopened or remains closed", blaming the US for the closure and accusing Washington of breaching its commitments.
"The Strait was closed because of the United States' breach of its commitments, its naval blockade of Iran, and all the hostile measures that the United States has taken against the Islamic Republic of Iran during this period," he said.
Tehran and Washington signed a deal in mid-June that ended months of hostilities, with provisions concerning the Strait of Hormuz and a resumption of diplomacy between Tehran and Washington towards a broader agreement.
The deal later collapsed after Iran and the US accused each other of violating its provisions, followed by US attacks on Iran and Tehran's retaliatory strikes in the region.
AFP
