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Hormuz talks begin
Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi will visit Tehran on Tuesday to continue talks between Iran and Oman on the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday.
“Sayyid Badr Albusaidi will visit Tehran on Tuesday”
Baghaei said Albusaidi would meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during the visit to discuss bilateral and regional issues.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said the trip comes within efforts to strengthen Tehran-Muscat cooperation and continue regular political consultations between the two sides as littoral states of the Strait of Hormuz.
Baghaei also said Iran and Oman have been engaged in intensive negotiations for nearly three months to establish a safe shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, and that Iran has restricted transit through the strait following the start of the US-Israeli aggression in late February.
The PressTV report added that Iran and the US signed a memorandum of understanding in June to end the American-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic, under which Iran agreed to allow fee-free maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz for a period of 60 days.
Sanctions and diplomacy
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that Iran President Masud Pezeshkian acknowledged the country was facing societal difficulties in the face of its conflict with the US and as Washington appears set to unveil plans to intensify sanctions on Tehran.
Pezeshkian said in a speech broadcast on state television on August 24, "I understand we have many problems in society right now. We are trying to prevent these as much as we can," and he said Iran is facing a combination of war, sanctions, political pressure, and assassinations since he took office in July 2024.
The same report said US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is due to brief reporters at 1 p.m. Eastern time on August 24 on what he has called "the toughest sanctions in history" against Iran.
In a separate Reuters update carried by WTVB | Other, Baghaei said on Sunday that the army chief of Pakistan, which has mediated between the United States and Iran, will visit Tehran on Monday.
WTVB | Other framed the Pakistan mediation alongside the Oman-Iran talks, noting Baghaei’s statement that Albusaidi’s visit is to continue talks between Iran and Oman on the Strait of Hormuz.
Shipping stakes at Hormuz
The PressTV report said Iran and Oman are working to establish a safe shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, and it described Iran’s restrictions on transit through the chokepoint after the start of the US-Israeli aggression in late February.
“depends on US compliance with its obligations under the Islamabad memorandum of understanding”
PressTV added that the full reopening of the strategic waterway depends on US compliance with its obligations under the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, and it said Iran devised a special maritime route for vessels to cross the chokepoint while warning vessels against using illegal routes.
The report also said the US attempted to undermine Iran’s sovereignty by establishing an unsafe corridor near the Omani shores, and that Iran responded by re-imposing restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz.
In parallel, the Anadolu Ajansı report said Baghaei told IRNA News Agency that Albusaidi would meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to discuss bilateral ties and regional issues as part of political consultations between the two littoral states of the Strait of Hormuz.
Anadolu Ajansı quoted Baghaei saying, "This trip is in line with strengthening Iran-Oman bilateral cooperation and continuing sustained political consultations," linking the visit to peace and stability in the region.