Tehran [Iran], August 10 (ANI): Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday that fees should be charged for maritime services provided in the Strait of Hormuz.
Baghaei made the remarks at a weekly press conference in response to a question about whether service fees had been discussed during negotiations between Iran and Oman on designating a new route through the waterway.
“Generally, when you provide maritime services, you must be reimbursed for them,” Baghaei said.
“At this stage, we do not discuss such details,” he added, noting that negotiations were continuing and that “certain technical points” remained under discussion.
Baghaei said negotiations between Iran and Oman “are being held smoothly and constructively,” adding that mechanisms would be established to ensure safe shipping, address environmental issues, provide maritime services and combat crime in the strait.
Under a potential agreement between the two countries, the existing northern and southern routes in the strait would be replaced by an intermediate route, he said. The new route would be used temporarily until Iran and Oman agree on a new traffic separation scheme.
Baghaei attributed the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to what he described as U.S. and Israeli “military aggression” against Iran, saying its reopening depends on the removal of conditions imposed on Iran.
He reiterated that Iran is not negotiating directly with the United States, although the two countries continue to exchange messages through mediators.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that “we are only semi-negotiating” with Iran, indicating that he was prepared to allow economic pressure on Tehran to increase rather than order a new military offensive, Axios reported.
“We are low-keying it,” Trump told Axios during a brief phone call, arguing that Iran “is in very bad shape” economically.
The report noted that an agreement governing traffic through the Strait of Hormuz had been negotiated among Iran, Oman and the United States and “has been pending for a few days now.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Saturday that Iran and Oman were “very close” to an agreement on designating a temporary route for maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran’s official news agency IRNA.
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