Iran says Strait of Hormuz deal is near

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran is close to finalising an agreement with Oman on new arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz, while stressing that the deal does not mean the key shipping route will fully reopen.

Speaking on Wednesday, Gharibabadi said Iran and Oman had reached broad agreement on the framework for maritime traffic and transit routes.

"All issues that were raised, the roadmap for transit routes, entry and exit routes, or maritime traffic, and the side agreements with Oman - as it's not just a map - basic understandings have been reached with Oman. In other words, significant progress has been made in the talks with Oman, and these advancements are on the verge of being finalised," he stated.

He said a proposed 60-day period following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States would not include transit fees, but added that implementation depends on decisions about reopening the Strait.

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"It was envisioned that within 60 days after the signing of the memorandum of understanding,  Iran would not charge any costs. Now, this entirely depends on that second phase, whether the Strait of Hormuz is opened or not, and what the decision of the high-ranking officials of the system will be for the second phase," he stated.

Gharibabadi also denied that Iran was holding direct negotiations with Washington, despite acknowledging continued communication.

"The United States is claiming that we are negotiating with Iran, but there are no negotiations. Of course, we received messages from the US several days ago, and these messages are ongoing, stating that the US is fully prepared to return to its commitments," he said.

He added that the proposed navigation system would replace the previous northern and southern routes with a new model shared between Iranian and Omani territorial waters.

"Regarding the new route, a suitable portion of it lies within Iranian territorial waters, and another part lies within Omani territorial waters; meaning that it has been designed so that commercial ships will pass through Iranian territorial waters both on the entry path and, in parts, on the exit path," he said.

His remarks came after US President Donald Trump said negotiations with Iran were "moving along very nicely" and suggested more clarity would come within 48 hours. Tehran has continued to deny that direct talks with Washington are taking place.