Tehran: Iran and Oman are close to agreeing on a new shipping route through the blocked Strait of Hormuz, according to officials in Tehran. The two Gulf states have agreed on the geographical coordinates of a navigation route through the strait, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA on Wednesday evening. A joint statement was in the final stages of review and drafting, he said, provided that no external party interfered in the process.

According to Nam News Network, Oman has not publicly commented on the reported agreement, which Iran says was negotiated without US involvement. Ships were able to pass freely through the strait, which lies between Iran and Oman, before the war began in late February. Any arrangement giving Tehran extensive control over shipping through the strategically important waterway would represent a strategic gain for Iran.

Baghaei cautioned that an agreement with Oman alone would not guarantee safe passage. Security in the strait remained linked to what he described as the continuing US blockade and other "aggressive and threatening" actions against Iran. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi also said an agreement on new shipping arrangements was nearing completion, according to IRNA. However, he stressed that the proposed arrangement would not amount to a full reopening of the strait, but would instead establish a new model for maritime traffic.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday evening that the strait could open on Wednesday or Thursday as part of a possible agreement with Iran. The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial route for global shipments of oil, gas, and fertilizer. The dispute over the waterway and the terms under which ships would be allowed to pass has been a major factor in the renewed escalation of the war between the US and Iran.