After U.S. President Donald Trump announced that mine clearance in the Strait of Hormuz had been completed, the Iranian regime and Oman also announced that they had reached an agreement to carry out a joint mine-clearance project in the strait. The creation of a temporary passage, arrangements for ships to transit, and the reopening of the waterway were left to further technical negotiations.
A joint statement by Tehran and Muscat was issued on August 25, following a meeting in Tehran between Badr Albusaidi, Oman’s foreign minister, and Abbas Araqchi, the Iranian regime’s foreign minister.
The proposed framework includes the creation of a joint temporary passage for ships and the implementation of a joint project to clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Regime Proxy Forces Face Decline After War with United States
In the statement, the implementation of the joint mine-clearance project is the only issue on which the two countries have reached an agreement. The creation of a temporary passage is part of the proposed framework and has not yet been finalized.
The two countries said technical negotiations would continue on establishing a permanent route, determining how the Strait of Hormuz would be administered, exchanging information, managing ship traffic, and providing maritime and security services.
Hours before the statement was issued, U.S. President Donald Trump announced in a post on the Truth Social platform that the mine-clearance process in the international waters of the Strait of Hormuz had been completed and threatened the Iranian regime that any attempt to lay mines again would be met with a harsh response.
On Tuesday, August 25, Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Trump says US Navy informed him all mines “removed and/or detonated” from Hormuz”
He added:”Iran has been notified that any ship or boat placing new mines will be immediately and systematically destroyed”
Details Announced Only by Tehran
Kazem Gharibabadi, the Iranian regime’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, provided further details of the understanding with Oman after the statement was issued that were not included in the two countries’ joint statement.
He said Iran still considers itself to be in a state of war and that, since the war began, the Strait of Hormuz has become one of the main pillars of Tehran’s strategy.
According to Gharibabadi, the route for entering the Persian Gulf passes through Iranian waters, while the exit route passes through Omani territorial waters.
He added that ships would pass through Iranian waters on both routes.
Gharibabadi described this route as temporary and said Tehran and Muscat must negotiate a new permanent route within 30 to 60 days. This route is intended to replace the previous maritime traffic scheme in the Strait of Hormuz.
He added that only commercial vessels would be allowed to use the temporary route and that no military vessel could pass through it.
The Iranian regime’s deputy foreign minister said the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed and that Oman had also agreed to its closure.
He said the decision would be communicated to the International Maritime Organization.
Gharibabadi made the reopening of the strait conditional on “the complete lifting of the economic blockade, a lasting end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, and the resolution of the situation regarding the blockade of Yemen.”
He said that if the Iranian regime’s conditions were not met, the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed. According to Gharibabadi, negotiations with Oman on the future administration of the strait would continue for up to 60 days.
However, the joint statement does not mention a ban on military vessels transiting the strait, the closure of the southern route, Oman’s agreement to the decision, or the Iranian regime’s conditions for reopening the strait. Oman has also not so far confirmed these parts of Gharibabadi’s remarks.
Oman: Temporary Passage Has Not Yet Been Finalized
Badr Albusaidi, who had traveled to Tehran for talks on the Strait of Hormuz, said after meeting with Araqchi that he hoped the establishment of a temporary route in the Strait of Hormuz and practical arrangements for resuming safe navigation would be announced soon.
Albusaidi added that the future administration of the strait and the achievement of a permanent solution would be examined later, in accordance with Article 5 of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding.
