Oman, Iran seek lasting deal to secure Strait of Hormuz

Muscat: Oman and Iran on Thursday, November 5, stressed the importance of consolidating sustainable understandings to ensure maritime security, end the state of war and prevent renewed confrontations in the region.

During a phone call, Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi and his Iranian counterpart, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, reviewed the latest contacts and talks aimed at reaching understandings to resume navigation through the Strait of Hormuz without hindrance, according to a report by the Oman News Agency.

The two ministers said such understandings should be grounded in practical arrangements to ensure the safety of maritime corridors and joint technical mechanisms to secure the unimpeded flow of international trade and energy, thereby bringing an end to the state of war and preventing renewed confrontations in the region, Xinhua News Agency reported.

They added that these understandings should respect national sovereignty and the legitimate interests of all parties while creating conditions for renewed dialogue and negotiations to address outstanding issues behind the escalation.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday that three vessels, including two supertankers, caught fire in two separate incidents the previous night while crossing the Strait of Hormuz through an “illegal and unauthorised” route south of the waterway.

In a statement on its official media outlet, Sepah News, the IRGC said that in one of the incidents, an oil tanker caught fire after hitting naval mines as it was passing through the “illegal” route.

In the other incident, another oil tanker, which was leaving the strait through the same route, was stopped after catching fire east of the waterway. A tugboat that had approached the oil tanker to help contain the blaze also caught fire, the statement said.

In a separate operation, members of its naval electronic warfare unit took control of two “invading” low-cost uncrewed combat attack system drones and landed them unharmed, the IRGC said.

It accused the US government of imposing “very heavy” insurance costs on American taxpayers and its allies in West Asia by enticing vessels into committing violations and passing through the mined route in the strait.

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