CNN: Omani proposal for navigation in the Strait of Hormuz via two separate passages - Sarmad
CNN reported on Saturday, citing a well-informed source, that the Sultanate of Oman had prepared a proposal to manage navigation traffic in the Strait of Hormuz through two separate routes.
The network added that, under the agreement, which has not yet been finalized, both passages would remain open. The southern passage, which runs through Omani territorial waters, would allow freedom of navigation as it was before the war.
Ships crossing the northern passage, which runs through Iranian territorial waters, would require prior approval from Iran, with no fees imposed under the agreement.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with his Omani counterpart, Badr Al Busaidi, in Muscat on Saturday, where the two officials discussed mechanisms to ensure the safe passage of ships through the waterway.
Earlier, US officials revealed that the United States and Iran would resume negotiations on Saturday in the Sultanate of Oman, noting that Washington had demanded Tehran issue a statement declaring that all routes in the Strait of Hormuz are open and that it would not resume targeting ships.
“ABC News” quoted US officials as saying: “The United States expects that the Saturday talks with Iran will result in the Strait of Hormuz being reopened in the same way it was before the war.”
The officials added: “If Iran does not declare on Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz is open as it was before the war, it will not be a happy day for them.”
Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding in June, the Americans and Iranians held two rounds of talks, the first directly in Switzerland and the second indirectly in Qatar, but neither yielded any progress.
In an effort to revive the negotiations, a Qatari delegation arrived in Iran on Friday, according to Tasnim News Agency, as Doha is mediating between Tehran and Washington.
Pakistan, which is playing a similar role, also urged Tehran to preserve the “hard-won peace gains” with Washington, according to a post by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the X platform.
