Oman has condemned repeated attacks on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran said a deal with Muscat was close but would not by itself reopen the vital waterway.
The Foreign Ministry in Muscat described the attacks as a “violation of international law and territorial waters sovereignty” threatening maritime safety, regional security and stability.
Oman did not identify those responsible. It said negotiations with Iran on arrangements governing navigation were progressing in a “positive and constructive atmosphere”.
The ministry stressed the importance of avoiding actions that could undermine the negotiations or the progress achieved, taking into account “the interests of all parties”.
The statement came as Iranian officials reported progress towards an arrangement with Oman for managing shipping through the strait.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran and Muscat were “very close” to an agreement on a new shipping route, but said reopening the waterway depended on other conditions, including US compensation.
Mr Araqchi said the previous shipping traffic separation scheme was no longer acceptable to Tehran. Iran is discussing a temporary route with Oman while technical and legal issues surrounding a permanent route are resolved.
'Another sign of pushback'
Hassan Ghashghavi, spokesman for Iran’s parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said the two sides had reached a broad framework. The final text and a joint statement still required approval at higher levels.
Iran has said an agreement with Oman alone would not guarantee the strait’s reopening.
Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, later listed six conditions, including an end to US threats and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq.
He also demanded an end to the maritime blockade, withdrawal of US naval and air forces from around Iran, compensation for losses from two wars, removal of sanctions and the release of frozen Iranian assets.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps separately said reopening the strait depended on Washington accepting Iran’s conditions, rather than on negotiations with Oman.
“Whenever the US accepts Iran’s conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will certainly be reopened,” IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi said, according to Tasnim.
The developments came as the UAE said Iran had used a missile to attack a carrier affiliated with its state oil company while it transited the strait. No injuries were reported.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said a vessel had caught fire after being struck by an unknown projectile. The fire was extinguished, with no environmental impact reported.
The Strait of Hormuz carried about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments before the war began with US and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28.
Iran has since imposed severe restrictions on shipping through the waterway, disrupting global energy flows, pushing up prices and fuelling inflation.
A US official said Washington expected an Iran-Oman agreement soon, allowing normal oil traffic to resume. The official said the US would lift its blockade of Iranian ports once commercial shipping was restored.
A proposed arrangement could give Tehran control over ships entering the Gulf through the strait, according to sources cited by Reuters. US officials have repeatedly opposed Iranian control over the strategic energy route.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Saturday that the moment was right for an agreement, saying Iran had “cohesion, strength, and unity” and was “victorious and powerful” in the war.
Analyst Hamidreza Azizi described Oman’s statement as “another sign of pushback” against Iran’s approach to the Strait of Hormuz, while noting that Muscat did not name Tehran in its statement.
