TEHRAN, Iran, Aug. 3 (ANI): Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday that an understanding between Iran and Oman on a new maritime traffic route through the Strait of Hormuz is intended solely to regulate safe vessel traffic and does not signal the reopening of the strategic waterway.
Speaking in an interview with IRIB News Network, as reported by Press TV, Baghaei said the continued closure of the strait is the result of what Iran describes as U.S. treaty violations, a naval blockade and other hostile actions against the Islamic Republic.
“The understanding with Oman regarding a new shipping lane is solely a prerequisite for regulating maritime traffic. It does not mean the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz,” Baghaei said. “The strait remains closed because of American treaty-breaking, the naval blockade of Iran, and the series of disruptive actions Washington has carried out against the Islamic Republic.”
Rejecting recent statements by U.S. officials, Baghaei said Iran’s policies are guided by its own national security interests and would not be influenced by outside pressure.
“Iran will under no circumstances be influenced by the heated statements of others. Our national interests and priorities will not be dictated by American officials’ threats,” Press TV quoted Baghaei as saying.
Baghaei said bilateral discussions with Oman on a safe maritime route began after the April 8 ceasefire memorandum and intensified following the June 18 agreement. According to Press TV, the two countries are negotiating a new Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) to replace both the previous northern route and the southern route.
“There is absolutely no intention of returning the situation in the Strait of Hormuz to the conditions that existed before Esfand 9 (May 30),” he said. “We have endured an extremely difficult experience over these past months. We must therefore ensure that Hormuz is not abused by the aggressor parties against us. This requires a mechanism in which Iran’s sovereign rights are fully observed. Our talks with Oman are purely bilateral and concern no one else.”
Baghaei said technical discussions with Oman have made progress but remain separate from any decision on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
“The negotiations so far have been progressing positively, and the Omani side has shown good cooperation. However, the Iran-Oman understanding on a new route has nothing to do with whether the Strait of Hormuz is reopened or remains closed. It is a necessary condition, but not a sufficient one. The reopening of the strait is an entirely different equation,” he said, according to Press TV.
Referring to recent U.S. military strikes on Iranian infrastructure, including residential areas on Qeshm Island, Baghaei said Iranian diplomats have warned neighboring countries and other nations, including Bulgaria, the United Kingdom and Ukraine, against allowing their territory or military facilities to be used for U.S. operations against Iran.
Citing international law, Baghaei said any country facilitating U.S. military action against Iran could be regarded as an aggressor.
“The United Nations General Assembly resolution defining aggression clearly states that providing bases, military facilities, or logistics to an aggressor places that country in the ranks of the aggressor itself,” he said. “In such circumstances, the country under attack is entitled to exercise its inherent right of legitimate self-defense to protect its security and national interests.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also emphasized what he described as the importance of the 14-point Islamabad memorandum of understanding, saying it reflects a broad domestic consensus.
In a post on X, Pezeshkian wrote, “The memorandum that was signed is the result of the collective wisdom of Shura Council’s members, and all members are in sympathy with it. I believe this memorandum will be the center of gravity of our foreign relations in the future. We must strive to compel the enemy to remain committed to what it has signed. The security of the country, the region, and our allies will be enhanced by this memorandum.”
Meanwhile, mediators are attempting to revive a memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States aimed at securing the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Israeli media reported Sunday.
The diplomatic effort comes a day after President Donald Trump said he had called off a planned military strike against Iran, stating that Tehran had agreed to reopen the critical maritime corridor. (ANI)
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