Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Monday that Iran is holding talks with Oman on a temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, according to Channel 12 (N12). Baqaei added that the discussions are focused narrowly on a new shipping route in the strait, and reiterated that no direct negotiations are taking place with the United States.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed Monday that Iran is holding talks with Oman on a temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, according to N12. Baqaei specified that the discussions are focused narrowly on a new shipping route within the strait, and reiterated that no direct negotiations are taking place with the United States.
The announcement is the latest in a series of Iranian statements on the subject throughout Monday. At 10:23 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported Iran's denial of U.S. talks and confirmation of discussions with Oman. Minutes later, the spokesman stated that an agreement with Oman alone could not reopen the strait and linked its status to an end of U.S. 'aggression.' By mid-day, reports indicated that Iran was conditioning any U.S. talks on prioritizing the Hormuz resolution. The current statement—the sixth update in the thread—adds that the Oman talks are limited to a new shipping lane, aligning with earlier N12 reporting on a narrow technical focus.
Background context: The Zioneer previously reported on Iran's initiation of Muscat talks (Sat Jul 11), the Iranian negotiator's explicit linkage of the strait's reopening to Israeli restraint in Lebanon (Sun Jun 21), and a Qatari-U.S. compromise proposal for a dual-routing system that Iranian FM Araghchi reportedly agreed to (Sun Aug 2, 09:15 Jerusalem). However, later the same day, the Iranian spokesman denied that the new route accord with Oman was about reopening the strait, stating it was a separate route (Sun Aug 2, 20:21 Jerusalem).
The current statement appears to mark a shift, explicitly describing the talks as aimed at a 'temporary reopening.' It remains unclear whether the IRGC supports the proposal, and the earlier denial of the reopening purpose has not been directly addressed. Mediators from Qatar and the U.S. continue efforts to secure a broader compromise.
6 developments
- StrongIran says talks with Oman on managing Strait of Hormuz continue
- DevelopingReport: Iran drawing up plan for post-closure Strait of Hormuz reopening
- StrongIranian FM spokesman: New route accord with Oman not about reopening Strait of Hormuz
- StrongOmani mediators optimistic for Strait of Hormuz breakthrough in coming days, Bloomberg reports
Source and signal
- Open-source intake