Iran says Hormuz shipping route agreed with Oman

Iran says it has reached an agreement with Oman on a route for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei did not give any further details on the agreement, which he said was "in the final stages". Baqaei warned, however, that a deal with Oman would not guarantee safe navigation through the strait, arguing security remained impacted by the US blockade of Iran's ports. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran and Muscat had agreed on the geographical coordinates of a new shipping route through the strait. According to him, both countries are now finalising a joint statement outlining the main points of the understanding.
Under the proposed system, most of the designated shipping route would pass through Iran's territorial waters, while shorter stretches would run through Omani waters. Existing temporary shipping lanes, including the northern route near Iran's Larak Island and the southern route through Omani waters, would be phased out and replaced by the new corridor.
The US and Oman have not commented on the proposal.Iranian officials have sought to temper expectations that technical talks with Oman will lead to the immediate reopening of the strategic waterway, stressing that any agreement would be bilateral, exclude the United States and preserve what they describe as Iran's new security role in the Strait.
Since the US and Israel attacked Iran in February, Tehran has largely blocked the Strait of Hormuz through which about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes. Since then, global oil prices have fluctuated wildly. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump warned that Iran would be "hit very hard" if the strait did not open "very soon". His comments came after senior US officials said talks had progressed to allow shipments to potentially resume later this week, though Iran has maintained that it is not negotiating with the US and has no plans to do so.