Mohammad Sio
03 August 2026•Update: 03 August 2026
Iran said Monday that it is not engaged in negotiations with the US and that it is working with Oman to establish "a temporary route" in the Strait of Hormuz to ensure safe navigation through the strategic waterway.
Speaking at a press briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran's talks with Muscat are aimed at establishing a temporary shipping route through the strategic waterway.
“Our current discussions with Oman are focused on ensuring the safe passage of ships in the Strait of Hormuz,” Baqaei said, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
“We are working to establish a temporary route, in cooperation with Oman, as soon as possible, so that we can ensure the safety of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” he added.
Baqaei said the discussions have centered on creating an interim navigation corridor that takes into account the interests of both coastal states by merging the southern route through Omani waters and the northern route through Iranian territorial waters into a single two-way transit corridor.
“The current discussions are about a two-way corridor, not two or three separate routes,” he said, adding that the “temporary route” would remain in place until a permanent alternative.
Baqaei rejected reports of negotiations between Tehran and Washington, saying: “We are not having negotiations with the United States.”
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said that talks with Iran will begin Monday afternoon, expressing optimism that an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s “denuclearization” could soon be reached.
Baqaei also said the situation in the Strait of Hormuz “will not change as long as the United States continues its acts of aggression and its blockade.”
Between July 8 and July 24, the US and Iran exchanged military strikes, with Washington attacking targets inside Iran and Tehran responding by targeting what it described as US military facilities and equipment in several Arab countries, particularly Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait.
The escalation followed a memorandum of understanding signed by Washington and Tehran in June and the launch of negotiations toward a final agreement. The talks later stalled over disagreements on security guarantees and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most strategic routes for global energy supplies and trade.
