Iran and Oman have proposed an interim agreement on the Strait of Hormuz, officials say

Iran and Oman on Tuesday presented a proposal to jointly create a temporary shipping channel through the Strait of Hormuz. Regional officials reported this after several weeks of tense negotiations between the two countries, UNN reports, citing CNN.

Details

Tehran and Muscat discussed a "phased framework" for a joint project that envisages creating a "temporary shipping corridor" and "de-mining," according to a press release from the foreign ministries of Iran and Oman.

The statement also said that officials would continue negotiations "with the aim of reaching an agreement on a permanent shipping corridor and the future governance of the strait."

In addition

Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi visited Iran and held consultations with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Oman’s state news agency (ONA) reported earlier. Following the meeting, Tehran and Muscat held negotiations over the past several weeks on stabilizing shipping in this waterway, which has become a key bargaining chip in the stalled negotiations between Iran and the United States after several months of regional violence.

Earlier today, U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that all mines in the Strait of Hormuz had been defused or blown up, and threatened to destroy any vessels that attempted to lay new ones. "We are watching every square inch of the strait," he said.