Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said in a televised interview on Tuesday that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed despite a temporary transit agreement with Oman.
“America and other countries should know that the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened except through Iranian arrangements,” Gharibabadi said, adding that Iran remains “in a state of war”.
Gharibabadi says Iran and Oman have held talks over the past 40 days on a transit arrangement through the waterway, agreeing on a temporary route seven miles (11 kilometres) wide, with the entry point and part of the exit route running through Iranian territorial waters.
He said that activating the route agreed with Oman “means closing the southern route in the strait” that the US had opened “under pressure from Oman” - a move he said violated the US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU).
Gharibabadi said the proposed map for the route came from Iran’s armed forces, with negotiations on a permanent arrangement to follow, adding that the Iranian government had spoken to Pakistan, Oman and Qatar about these regional developments.
