Tehran, Aug 2026 : Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi has said that the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz will depend on the United States addressing what Tehran describes as violations of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), while indicating that negotiations with Oman on a new navigation framework are nearing completion.
Speaking on the sidelines of a press conference by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Araghchi said discussions with Oman were continuing on the legal framework and management of navigation through the strategic waterway, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency.
“Negotiations with Oman are underway regarding the legal framework and management of the Strait of Hormuz, including the designation of transit routes through the strait. We are very close to reaching an agreement,” Araghchi said.
However, he stressed that reaching an agreement with Oman alone would not be sufficient to facilitate the reopening of the waterway. According to the Iranian Foreign Minister, Tehran expects the United States to address what Iran considers violations of the MoU.
Araghchi said the previous Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS), or designated navigation route, was no longer acceptable to Iran for maritime traffic and that a new system would need to be established.
“In the past, there was a Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) or route that is no longer acceptable for ship traffic from the Islamic Republic's perspective, and it is necessary to consider a new TSS,” he said, while acknowledging that developing a new arrangement involved significant technical and legal complexities.
The Foreign Minister also accused Washington of violating provisions of the MoU and said those issues needed to be addressed as part of the process.
Araghchi referred specifically to Clause 5 of the agreement, saying Iran had been implementing the provision under which maritime traffic was expected to gradually return to normal levels.
He claimed that traffic had reached around 60 per cent of normal levels within two weeks, but alleged that the United States subsequently sought to establish new routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Despite the warnings given by our country, they sought to undermine the management of Iran and the Strait of Hormuz,” Araghchi said.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most strategically important maritime routes, serving as a major passage for global energy shipments. Any prolonged disruption to navigation through the waterway could therefore have wider implications for international trade and energy markets.
Iran has been engaged with Oman in efforts to establish a new framework governing maritime traffic and navigation through the strait. Tehran has maintained that any future navigation arrangement must take into account its legal, security and operational concerns.
On Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Iran and Oman had reached agreement on the geographical coordinates of a navigation route intended to facilitate the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Baqaei said a joint statement between Tehran and Muscat was in the final stages of review and drafting, raising hopes that a formal announcement on the navigation arrangements could follow soon.
The latest comments from Araghchi, however, indicate that Iran views the reopening as dependent on both the technical agreement with Oman and the resolution of its concerns regarding US compliance with the MoU.
(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
