Iran says Oman deal alone will not reopen Strait of Hormuz

A shipping agreement between Iran and Oman on transit through the Strait of Hormuz will not automatically reopen the strategic waterway to maritime traffic, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has said.

Speaking at a press conference, he noted that "reaching an agreement on a safe shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for reopening the strait," Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

According to him, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz was not caused by disagreements between Tehran and Muscat, but by what he described as the US and Israeli campaign against Iran.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said the United States and Iran would begin negotiations on a peace agreement on August 3.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov