Iran on Monday (August 3) said it is not holding any negotiations with the United States and is instead working with Oman to establish a temporary shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz to ensure safe navigation in the strategic waterway. Speaking at a weekly press briefing, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran's ongoing discussions with Muscat are focused on creating an interim navigation corridor for vessels passing through the strait.
"Our current discussions with Oman are focused on ensuring the safe passage of ships in the Strait of Hormuz," Baghaei said, according to Iran's semi-official Fars news agency. He said Iran and Oman were working to establish "a temporary route" as soon as possible to safeguard maritime traffic through the strait. According to Baghaei, the proposed arrangement would merge the southern route through Omani waters and the northern route through Iranian territorial waters into a single two-way transit corridor that reflects the interests of both coastal states.
"The current discussions are about a two-way corridor, not two or three separate routes," he said, adding that the temporary arrangement would remain in place until a permanent alternative is agreed. Baghaei also rejected claims that Tehran was negotiating with Washington, saying, "We are not having negotiations with the United States."
His remarks came a day after US President Donald Trump said talks with Iran would begin on Monday afternoon and expressed optimism that an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's "denuclearisation" could be reached.
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Baghaei, however, said any understanding with Oman alone would not be enough to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He said the situation in the waterway would remain unchanged as long as the United States continued what he described as its "aggression" and blockade.
"As long as US aggression continues, the situation will stay the same," he said, adding that reaching an agreement with Oman was not sufficient to restore normal navigation through the strait.

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