Iran and Oman agree temporary shipping route through closed Strait of Hormuz

Iran and Oman have agreed on a new temporary route for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, though Tehran insists the strategic waterway will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim peace deal signed in June, according to Al Jazeera.

Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, said on state television that the route's entry would run through Iranian territorial waters, with part of the exit passing through them as well, according to Al Jazeera. He said the transit corridor would be seven miles (11.3km) wide.

Earlier on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met his Omani counterpart, Badr Albusaidi, in Tehran to discuss the temporary navigation corridor alongside a project to clear mines from the strait, according to a joint statement cited by Al Jazeera. Albusaidi said he hoped the countries would "soon announce" the corridor, adding that "future management of the strait and a permanent solution will follow in due course."

The strait handled about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before the US-Israel war on Tehran began in February, and most shipping through it has been shut down since then, according to Al Jazeera. Passage remains dangerous: the United Kingdom's maritime trade watchdog reported that an oil tanker was disabled by an unidentified projectile on Tuesday near Oman's Ash Shishah, close to the strait's entrance.

Gharibabadi dismissed a claim by US President Donald Trump that all mines had been cleared from the strait's international waters, saying it was "only aimed at calming the markets," and warned that US mine-detection vessels would become "very good targets" if they entered the area, according to Al Jazeera. He said the US must fulfil its commitments under the June memorandum of understanding — including sanctions relief and the release of frozen Iranian assets — if it wants a return to diplomacy.

**Sources:** aljazeera.com