Iran and Oman still working on Strait of Hormuz accord, says senior Iranian source

IRANIAN SOURCE SAYS NO FINAL AGREEMENT REACHED ON STRAIT

“An agreement with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz has not been finalised,” the senior Iranian source told Reuters, adding that the talks were continuing on the details of an accord.

A spokesperson for Iran‘s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Iran and Oman had reached an agreement on their shares of the territory and revenues.

“The Strait of Hormuz belongs to Iran and the country of Oman … We have been in negotiations with Oman for about a month, and we have reached results that are acceptable to both sides,” Hossein Mohebbi said in comments published by Iranian state media.

“In these negotiations, agreements have been reached regarding the share of each country in the waters of the Strait and the share of Iran and Oman in its revenues,” he added.

It was not immediately clear at what stage of the negotiations the agreements had been reached. Iran had said earlier this month that a deal on the strait was close.

Following talks on Tuesday between Iran and Oman, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said he was “hopeful we will soon announce a temporary corridor for the Strait of Hormuz and practical arrangements to restore safe navigation”.

US President Donald Trump has warned Oman against cooperating with Iran, telling Fox News on Aug 17: “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them.”

The IRGC accused the United States of seeking to obstruct Iran‘s negotiations with Oman and said this had caused an agreement to be delayed.

“If the United States stops obstructing and returns to the agreement, we can open the Strait of Hormuz within the framework of the agreement reached … If the United States does not accept our conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened under any circumstances,” Mohebbi said.