Iran says southern Hormuz route will remain closed

The southern route through the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed under a new understanding between Iran and Oman, an Iranian source told the semi-official Tasnim news agency on Saturday, saying the arrangement does not amount to reopening the strategic waterway.

The source said Iran and Oman reached the understanding after intensive technical and diplomatic talks.

The arrangement sets out new routes for vessels entering and leaving the Persian Gulf, including routes that would pass through Iranian territorial waters.

According to the source, transit along the new routes would operate under Iranian arrangements.

“The southern route, which the United States had insisted to reopen, would remain closed,” the source told Tasnim.

Reopening depends on US conditions

The source said the understanding between Tehran and Muscat does not itself reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Instead, it provides a framework for how the waterway could operate if Iran decides to reopen it.

Iran has conveyed seven conditions to the United States through intermediaries, the source said, adding that the strait would remain closed until those conditions are implemented.

The planned understanding is expected to be presented to foreign ministers of Gulf countries, with Iraq also attending, according to the source cited by the agency.

The other countries would be briefed on the arrangements rather than taking part in the technical negotiations.

The Strait of Hormuz has remained largely closed to commercial shipping amid the ongoing US-‘Israel’ war with Iran.

The waterway is a critical route for global energy supplies, and disruptions have sharply affected oil markets and regional shipping.