Iran Agrees Hormuz Passage Route With Oman, Awaits US Commitments

TEHRAN, Aug 28: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Friday that Iran and Oman had agreed on a shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, but Tehran would restore the waterway to normal operations only if the United States fulfills its commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed in June.

“We agreed with Oman on the passage route through Hormuz, and if the US fulfills its commitments under the memorandum of understanding, we will open the strait,” Pezeshkian said, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency. He said the proposed route had also been communicated to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. Pezeshkian said Tehran expects Washington to lift sanctions and its blockade, release frozen Iranian assets, begin investment in Iran and end the war in Lebanon. He added that the Iranian side was ready to resume implementation of the Islamabad agreement, saying the US had also indicated acceptance of returning to the memorandum. Pezeshkian said Iran’s Supreme National Security Council had reached an “exceptional” consensus on the agreement, with 12 of its 13 members voting in favor.

The Iranian president said sanctions and the blockade had initially been eased under the agreement, while discussions began over the release of frozen Iranian funds and plans were being prepared for as much as $300 billion in investment. Iran, he said, had been working to restore the Strait of Hormuz to its previous status, but the process collapsed after Washington failed to fulfill its commitments. Tehran and Muscat have since been negotiating arrangements to manage shipping through the strategic waterway, with regional mediation efforts involving Oman, Pakistan and Qatar. Iran has previously said the proposed corridor would involve both Iranian and Omani waters. The developments come as shipping through Hormuz remains well below normal levels, despite diplomatic efforts to establish safer passage and revive the stalled US-Iran understanding