Iran working to finalise Strait of Hormuz agreement with Oman
Iran said on Monday it is working to finalise a joint statement with Oman on a plan to manage the transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Fully reopening the waterway to commercial shipping has been a key demand of the United States, but it remains unclear whether the deal will meet Washington’s criteria.
The announcement came as the 60-day negotiating period to find a peace deal between the US and Iran was expiring, with no word of an extension and both sides seemingly as far apart as they were two months ago.
Iranian Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran that “an understanding has been reached regarding the map of the transit route.”
He did not elaborate, but details that have previously emerged suggest the deal would reopen the strait with ships entering through a route close to Iran and exiting through a route close to Oman. Ships would transit without paying fees or tolls during the interim period.
The US has sought an acceptable deal on opening the strait before ending its blockade of Iranian ports and it was not clear whether this would meet Washington’s expectations. Iran effectively closed the strait — through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil supplies passed before the war — after Israel and the US attacked the country on February 28.
Baghaei conceded the talks with Oman have gone slowly, “but we had planned, and still plan, to finalise the understanding in the form of a package: the map plus a joint statement.”
His comments came as a 60-day deadline for finding an agreement to end the war expired, with no signs of a deal between the US and Iran.
Kushner meeting with Netanyahu
West Asia negotiator Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, was holding meetings with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the day after he had talks with Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on disarmament.
The meetings with Netanyahu come after the Israeli leader rejected a 15-point, US-backed road map to move the truce deal forward in Gaza.
Hamas says it has agreed to the road map, which includes disarmament, and the group is urging mediators and the US-created Board of Peace to “compel” Israel to sign on as well.
But Israel, which under the road map must withdraw from Gaza, says Hamas must fully disarm before any Israeli withdrawal will occur.
Israeli troops occupy about 60 per cent of the strip and Netanyahu has previously threatened to advance further.
