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Iran will not allow military vessels to transit through the Strait of Hormuz under an agreement the Islamic Republic is currently negotiating with Oman, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told state TV late on Tuesday night.
The top diplomats of the two countries met to discuss managing commercial shipping traffic in the vital waterway, which remains largely shut down nearly six months after the Iran war began.
Gharibabadi stated, "If the understanding becomes binding, no military vessel will be permitted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. No military vessel at all." He described the proposed commercial route through the Strait of Hormuz, noting that traffic into the Persian Gulf from the Gulf of Oman would pass entirely through Iranian waters, while the outbound route would pass partly through Iranian waters and partly through Oman’s territorial waters.
The Trump administration has expressed opposition to parts of the evolving deal, including the joint Iranian and Omani management of the exit route out of the passage that’s critical to global supplies of oil and natural gas. President Trump threatened to bomb Oman if it "gets in the way."