TEHRAN, July 12– Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has said Iran insists that arrangements for the future administration of maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz must be made through consultations with Oman, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Sunday.
Baghaei made the remarks in an address to reporters while elaborating on a Saturday trip by Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi to Oman’s capital Muscat, the ministry said in a statement.
Iran insists that “arrangements for the future administration of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz must be made through consultations between the two coastal countries (of Iran and Oman) and by taking into consideration the developments over the past few months, especially the U.S.- and Israeli-imposed war (against Iran) and its security consequences for shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” Baghaei said.
He added the Saturday talks between the Iranian foreign minister and his Omani counterpart, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, were aimed at ensuring coordination between the two coastal countries regarding arrangements for the administration of traffic and shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Baghaei noted that the two countries’ legal and technical teams also attended the talks, in which the two sides exchanged views on ensuring shipping security and safety in the waterway while observing the two countries’ sovereign rights as well as international law, and in view of the provisions of a recently signed peace memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Iran and the United States on ending the war.
He stressed that the Iranian and Omani sides agreed to continue talks to reach a common understanding with regard to ensuring shipping security in the strait. Baghaei added a delegation from Qatar, which has been a mediator in negotiations between Iran and the United States in recent months, also attended part of the talks. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
