Iran has rejected an Omani proposal to divide the Strait of Hormuz into two equal shipping lanes, declared that the waterway will "never return to its prewar situation," and launched a surprise ballistic missile attack on US forces in Jordan, the most serious escalation since the interim deal between the two collapsed earlier this month.
Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said in an interview with Iranian state television that Oman had proposed splitting the strait into two routes, each handling 50% of shipping traffic.
Tehran rejected the plan and offered a counterproposal for a temporary arrangement under which vessels would transit exclusively through Iranian territorial waters. "Iran's policy is for the strait never to return to its prewar situation," Gharibabadi said.
Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, the army's deputy chief, left no ambiguity about Tehran's position.
"No movement will take place in the Strait of Hormuz without Iran's permission," he said. "The Iranian Navy has full control over the eastern part of the Strait of Hormuz, the northern Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman."
