TEHRAN
\nIran\u2019s foreign ministry said Monday it had held the first meeting with Oman on managing the Strait of Hormuz since Tehran and Washington signed their preliminary deal to end the Middle East war. Both Iran and Oman say they hold sovereignty over the waterway, a vital route for Gulf energy exports that Tehran blockaded during the war.
\n\u201cDuring a trip to Muscat, the first meeting of the Joint Hormuz Committee was held,\u201d said Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi on X, without specifying the date.\u201cWhile reviewing the current issues related to the strait, we exchanged views on the future management,\u201d he added.
\nHormuz is a narrow stretch of water separating Iran and Oman that is only about 30 kilometers (18 miles) wide. The future of the strait has been a key sticking point during talks between Tehran and Washington to end their conflict. Last Tuesday, following a visit by Iranian officials, Oman and Iran announced in a joint statement that they were examining the costs associated with the future management of the strait.
\nBut later in the week Oman indicated that no \u201cpassage fees\u201d were planned and announced the opening of a \u201ctemporary maritime corridor\u201d close to its coast that it said was coordinated with the UN. Iran responded by saying the only authorized passage was a corridor skirting its own coastline.
\nIranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on Sunday that any attempt to use alternative routes risked \u201cescalating tensions\u201d in the region.It followed a flare-up in hostilities in which Iran struck a commercial ship in the strait and the United States responded with strikes on Iranian coastal targets.
\nThe memorandum of understanding reached between Tehran and Washington stipulates that \u201cIran will engage in a dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman to define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz, in consultation with other Arabian Gulf littoral states, in accordance with applicable international law and the sovereign rights of the coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz.\u201d
\nThe text says passage through the strait was to be toll-free \u201cfor 60 days only\u201d after the signing of the deal. It remains unclear what will happen after that period.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TEHRAN Iran\u2019s foreign ministry said Monday it had held the first meeting with Oman on managing the Strait of Hormuz since Tehran and Washington signed their preliminary deal to end the Middle East war. Both Iran and Oman say they hold sovereignty over the waterway, a vital route for Gulf energy exports that Tehran blockaded […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":444791,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-553575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n