Iranian and Middle East diplomats held crisis talks in Oman Saturday to respond to the US demand that Tehran issue a public pledge to keep the Strait of Hormuz open – while reportedly weighing whether to propose a new travel route along the critical waterway.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was meeting with Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi in Muscat to discuss “safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz,” according to state media in Tehran.
There were no indications top US officials were involved in the negotiations.
Qatari officials, who have sometimes served in a mediating role between the warring countries, are taking part in the discussions that included the possibility of creating a “median lane” through the strait, Axios reported.
The plan could represent a compromise – but it is unclear if it would satisfy the Trump administration.
The US wants shipping to travel through a southern route along the Omani coast, while Tehran wants vessels to hug the coast and go through areas it can control.
The US is demanding the Iranian regime issue a public statement acknowledging the waterway is open for business and pledge not to fire on any more ships – following a series of Iranian attacks in the strait that have drawn withering responses from the US military.
“They’re either going to give us that statement, or we’re not going to have a good outcome,” a US official told reporters Friday.
But Iran remained defiant and threatened to walk away from the negotiating table.
“Should the United States continue to violate its obligations under the MoU, Iran will no longer be bound to fulfil its obligations under the MoU,” said Iran’s ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, referencing a Memorandum of Understanding reached between the countries last month.
