Iran says Arab states to sign Hormuz shipping deal

Foreign ministers from eight Arab states will meet in Oman on Monday to discuss a proposed joint shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said.

Pezeshkian said the ministers would meet in Muscat to sign an agreement establishing a joint Iran-Oman shipping route through the strategic waterway and notify the International Maritime Organization.

“The foreign ministers of the Arab countries will meet in Muscat to sign an agreement establishing a joint route between Oman and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz,” he said in an interview with India Today published Saturday.

He added that countries whose territories were used by the United States to launch attacks on Iran would also participate in the meeting.

Pezeshkian also said Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz once the United States ends its naval blockade and attacks on the country.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed Friday that Oman would host a regional ministerial meeting involving eight Gulf states. He said the talks would focus on regional developments and the outcome of Iranian-Omani discussions on establishing safe routes for commercial vessels through the strait.

Baqaei said Iran was working to maintain security in the waterway but warned that the safety of vessels could not be guaranteed while the US blockade and military intervention continued.

There was no immediate confirmation from Oman about Monday’s meeting.

The Strait of Hormuz is a key global shipping route, and Iran has repeatedly warned that US military pressure could affect navigation through the waterway.