A regional meeting scheduled for Monday in Muscat, Oman will focus on a new maritime traffic route in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday.
At the meeting, Iran and Oman will brief Gulf countries on the outcome of their consultations on the route and share a roadmap, said Araghchi.
Although the two countries have agreed on the details of new entry and exit routes for the Strait of Hormuz, Araghchi stressed that the agreement does not mean the strait will reopen.
Reopening the Strait of Hormuz depends on the United States returning to its commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), said the minister.
Iran believes that the responsibility for regional security and stability should fall entirely on the countries in the region, and Iran hopes the meeting will pave the way for future consultations among regional states on issues of common concern, said Araghchi.
On Friday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei announced that Gulf littoral states' foreign ministers are scheduled to meet in Oman on Monday to exchange views on regional issues, including the Iran-Oman talks on designating safe routes in the Strait of Hormuz.
Late last month, Iran and Oman said in a joint statement that they had exchanged views on a proposed phased framework that includes establishing a temporary joint shipping corridor in the strait.
Following U.S.-Israeli strikes on February 28, Iran restricted passage through the strategic waterway, while U.S. forces imposed a naval blockade targeting vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports.
The Strait of Hormuz, linking the Gulf with the Arabian Sea, is one of the world's most important routes for oil and gas shipments. Oman and Iran sit on opposite sides of the strait and have maintained consultations over maritime security and navigation in the strategic waterway.
