Iran, Oman agree on new entry, exit routes for Strait of Hormuz amid West Asia tensions: Reporting

Iran and Oman have reached agreement on details of new routes for entering and leaving the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian officials said on Saturday, as tensions mount in West Asia and the strategically vital waterway attracts growing international attention. The two countries reached an understanding on the new routes following consultations and details on the new routes were expected to be presented to the Gulf countries at a regional meeting in Muscat on Monday, ANI reported citing Xinhua News.

The move comes as the remains a focus of attention amid rising regional tensions.

A source close to Iran's negotiating team told the semi-official Tasnim news agency the understanding came after "intensive technical and diplomatic talks" between Iran and Oman, resulting in a final agreement in late August.

Under the proposed arrangement, the entry route from the Gulf would be entirely within Iranian territorial waters and a part of the exit route would also pass through Iranian waters, Tasnim reported citing sources.

The routes would be Iranian arrangements and the southern route would be closed once the new system was in place, the source said. The source said the United States had pushed to keep the southern route open.

The source, however, said the agreement did not mean the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened. Iran has laid out seven conditions for reopening the strategic waterway and has shared them with the US, the report said.

The BRICS countries have reached a consensus on the situation in West Asia, with dialog and diplomacy being the guiding principles for resolving conflicts, Secretary (Economic Relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs Sudhakar Dalela said on Saturday.

“BRICS members have different development experiences and economic systems, which require space to discuss national perspectives before reaching consensus,” Dalela told the media at a briefing after the BRICS Leaders’ Summit.

“I would say that within the BRICS, and in the preparation for the BRICS summit, we have been discussing these issues for some time and I think it is the essence of the BRICS view that is captured in para 28 of the New Delhi Declaration. In a grouping like BRICS, where we have members with different development experiences, different economic systems, we need to let the discussions evolve and emerge, and we, as the Chair, have provided a platform for very transparent discussion amongst us, and we have ensured that everybody is comfortable in expressing their national perspective, and within that framework, we try to build consensus and see what are the lending zones, what are the comfort areas, he said.