MUSCAT\/ISLAMABAD
\nDespite widespread opposition to any change in the status of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran and Oman said they would study the fees to be charged for services provided in administering the vital energy route, as they asserted \u201csovereignty\u201d over the waterway.
\nThe announcement came as Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told Al Arabiya in an interview that Pakistan supported a toll-free Hormuz that did not involve permits or any service fees.
\nIn a joint statement on Tues\u00adday, Iran and Oman emphasised their \u201csovereign rights over their territorial waters\u201d, but Muscat\u2019s foreign minister said on X that both sides were committed to \u201ctoll-free safe passage\u201d. They \u201cagreed to maintain their dialogue on this issue through a joint working group between the two foreign ministries\u201d, the statement quoted by AFP said.
\nThe working group was aimed at reaching \u201cagreement on the future administration of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the services that will be provided in this regard and the costs associated with them in accordance with international standards\u201d, they said.
\nThe statement followed meetings in Muscat between top officials from the two nations. Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and chief negotiator Bagher Ghali\u00adbaf met Oman\u2019s Sultan Haith\u00ad\u00adam bin Tariq and Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi.
\nLast week, Iran\u2019s foreign mi\u00ad\u00adnistry said the country would impose what it called maritime service fees for crossing the strait. Mr Ghalibaf said the fees will come into effect after a 60-day period without char\u00adges that is stipulated in a memorandum of understanding signed with the United States.
\nThe MoU states that Iran and Oman will discuss its \u201cfuture administration and maritime services\u201d alongside other Gulf countries.
\nOptimism for final agreement
\nIn the interview, FM Ishaq Dar spoke about Pakistan\u2019s efforts to broker peace between the US and Iran, the status of negotiations between the two countries, and the Hormuz and nuclear issues being discussed by the two rivals.
\nSpeaking about the MoU signed by the two countries, he said the world was already beginning to see the dividends of peace in the form of reduced energy prices and resumption of traffic in Hormuz. He maintained that the Strait of Hormuz should be restored to pre-conflict status, which \u201cmeans no fee and no toll at all\u201d. He also recalled his March visit to China, where he said both China and Pakistan agreed, as per a five-point plan, that there should be free movement in the strait.
\n\u201cNo permits, no toll, no additional charge, whatever you name it; it should be free movement and sea lanes should be freely moving [on] both sides,\u201d Mr Dar said. \u201cThis is the global understanding,\u201d he said, observing that for \u201cat least 60 days, there will be free movement\u201d within the waterway.
\nShifting his attention to the talks in Burgenstock in Switzerland, he called the summit \u201cphase two\u201d of the negotiation process. \u201cThere are three technical groups. One is to deal with the nuclear issue, the second is about sanctions and frozen assets and third is Lebanon,\u201d Mr Dar said.
\n\u201cThis new document (MoU) has been divided into two pha\u00adses,\u201d he said, explaining that the first phase had been completed and signed and urged that no one should doubt the \u201cintentions of the signing parties\u201d. \u201cWe have no doubt that they are sincere and want to move forward,\u201d FM Dar said.
\n\u201cFor certain items, they have 30 days to conclude, but the bulk and overall conclusion of the final deal timeline is 60 days, and this can be mutually extendable,\u201d the FM said. He, however, expressed hope that the final agreement will yield positive results. \u201cWe have to be sincere to the cause; Pakistan has no personal ves\u00adted interests, and we did the entire exercise with complete sincerity\u2026\u201d FM Dar said.
\nWhen asked about Iran\u2019s uranium stockpile, the minister said that at the time of Islamabad Talks, Iran had exp\u00ad\u00adressed flexibility on the issue. \u201cIt was at that time a question of US demand that they wan\u00adted to take it away. Iran was not willing\u2026but [..] it can be downblended from the claimed 60 per cent,\u201d FM Dar said.
\nTalking about Lebanon, the foreign minister observed that the issue had \u201cerupted time and again\u201d during the course of the peace process and added that the Switzerland talks were nearly \u201cderailed\u201d due to Israel\u2019s attacks in Lebanon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MUSCAT\/ISLAMABAD Despite widespread opposition to any change in the status of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran and Oman said they would study the fees to be charged for services provided in administering the vital energy route, as they asserted \u201csovereignty\u201d over the waterway. The announcement came as Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told Al Arabiya in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":552949,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-552936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n