Iran’s state-owned Press TV is reporting that talks between Tehran and Muscat have entered “a new phase”, with a “bilateral understanding within reach”.
– Citing a senior Iranian official, the channel said the talks “aim to establish a middle corridor through the Strait of Hormuz to ensure safe navigation while protecting Iran’s rights as a coastal state”. Once operational, the new corridor would replace both the existing northern and southern routes, according to the official.
– The strait, a waterway just 34km (21 miles) wide, was an international shipping route before Iran closed it in response to US and Israeli attacks. Before the war, vessels followed a UN-adopted two-way traffic separation scheme, with sailing corridors running through both Iranian and Omani waters.
– After the war began, Iran ordered all vessels transiting the strait to follow a new route through its own waters around Larak Island, or the so-called northern route. Following the signing of a ceasefire deal in June, the US pushed for an alternative route hugging the Omani coast, known as the southern route. But Iran opposed the move and launched new attacks on shipping, triggering the latest round of hostilities.
– Earlier on Tuesday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the ongoing talks between Iran and Oman were “positive” at both the technical and political levels, and were focused on designating safe routes for maritime passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
https://aje.news/vv0n8h?update=4830112