Iran and Oman to announce temporary Hormuz Strait shipping route deal at Muscat meeting

Iran and Oman are set to formally announce, at a meeting in Muscat attended by foreign ministers of Gulf Cooperation Council member states and Iraq, their agreement to create a temporary shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, known as the "temporary traffic separation plan," and to report it to the International Maritime Organization. According to EcoIran, citing Donya e Eqtesad, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei described the meeting as an essential step for regional stability and security, though an Iranian official said the meeting does not mean the Strait of Hormuz will fully reopen. President Masoud Pezeshkian had earlier said a full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz depends on the United States ending its blockade and aggression against Iran. Bahrain said on Saturday, September 12, that it would not participate in the meeting.