Iran's foreign ministry says an Oman route understanding does not mean the Strait of Hormuz reopens

Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry, said on the evening of Sunday 2 August 2026 in an interview with the state Khabar channel that talks between Iran and Oman on a shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz began the day after the ceasefire memorandum of 8 April and have been running for seven to eight days in their current phase. He said the two sides are working towards a new traffic separation scheme that would be neither the former northern route nor the southern one.

Baqaei stressed that such an understanding is "a necessary but not a sufficient condition" and has no bearing on whether the Strait of Hormuz reopens or stays closed. He said the strait would not return to its pre 28 February status, added that maps prepared by Iranian bodies had been shared with the Omani side, and described the negotiations so far as moving forward. He said the route approved by the International Maritime Organisation from 1968 ran entirely through Omani territorial waters.

The Strait of Hormuz carries roughly a fifth of the world's oil and gas trade, and its status bears directly on global oil prices and on Iran's currency and gold markets.