Top official says Iran, Oman have agreed new temporary route in Hormuz

What the report says

Iran and Oman have agreed on a temporary shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, whose comments were reported by Al Jazeera on Tuesday. He said the new corridor would use Iranian territorial waters for the entry point and part of the exit, and described it as a stopgap arrangement rather than a permanent reopening of the waterway.

The reported deal followed talks in Tehran between Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, who were said to have been finalising details of a phased framework for managing transit through the strategic strait. Al Jazeera said the two countries were also discussing mine-clearance work and technical talks for a longer-term system covering information sharing, navigation and security.

The Strait of Hormuz is a major global energy chokepoint, and the article says shipping through it has been heavily disrupted since the US-Israel war on Iran began in February. Al Jazeera reported that a previous US-backed corridor linked to an interim peace deal collapsed after Iranian objections and attacks on vessels using that route. Gharibabadi said Tehran still would not consider the strait open until Washington met its commitments under the June agreement, including sanctions relief and the release of frozen Iranian assets.

The article also noted that maritime tension remained high, citing a tanker disabled near the strait’s entrance and warning that a broader political settlement has yet to be reached.