RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 12 sourcesVessels in the Strait of Hormuz are visible near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Aug 25.
Listen Summarise Iran and Oman discussed creating a temporary navigational corridor and a joint mine-clearing project in the Strait of Hormuz to manage transit and improve security. They plan to continue technical talks on a permanent corridor, traffic management, and security services, involving all Gulf-bordering states. The strait remains tense due to US-Iran conflict, with Iran demanding sanctions relief before fully reopening navigation, while the US enforces a zero-tolerance mine policy. AI generated
MUSCAT - Iran and Oman’s foreign ministers on Aug 25 said they discussed a framework for a temporary transit corridor through the Strait of Hormuz and a mine-clearing project in the waterway, which they both border.
The strait became a flashpoint early in the Middle East war, and the two countries have recently sought to hammer out a plan to regulate transit through it, as laid out in a June US-Iran memorandum of understanding.
Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi “discussed a phased framework that could provide a practical and implementable basis for moving forward” during talks in Tehran, a joint statement shared by Oman said.
The framework “includes the establishment of a joint temporary navigational corridor through the Strait of Hormuz and an agreement to implement a joint project to clear the Strait of mines”, the statement added.
Albusaidi said in a post on X after the meeting that he hoped the countries would “soon announce” the temporary corridor in the strait. “Future management of the strait and a permanent solution will follow in due course,” he said.
Technical negotiations will continue to determine a “permanent navigational corridor and future administration of the Strait, as well as a mechanism for information-sharing, traffic management, and the provision of relevant navigational and security services”, the earlier joint statement read.
Both sides said it was important to hold joint discussions with states bordering the Gulf.
The announcement came as US President Donald Trump repeated claims on Truth Social that “all mines have been removed and/or detonated from within the International Waters of the Strait of Hormuz”, citing the US navy.
“Iran has been notified that any ship or boat placing new mines will be immediately and systematically destroyed... There is a Zero Tolerance policy on mine placement in full force and effect,” he added.
War broke out after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb 28, with Tehran quickly blockading the Strait of Hormuz and Washington imposing a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports.
Traffic remains largely paralysed, disrupting global oil markets in a crucial waterway that normally carries around one fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas exports.
Iran and Oman, both coastal states on the strait, have for weeks been discussing the future of navigation through the waterway, with Tehran saying the geographical coordinates of a route envisaged by the two countries “have been agreed upon”.
Iranian officials, however, have insisted that the strait will not fully reopen until the United States meets Tehran’s demands, including lifting its naval blockade, dropping oil sanctions and unfreezing assets abroad. AFP
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