Iran Denies Talks with US, Discusses Strait of Hormuz Only with Oman

The Iranian government has denied it is negotiating with the United States and stated that Tehran is cooperating with Oman to open a temporary shipping lane in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said talks with Muscat are focused on efforts to guarantee the safety of ship traffic in the strategic waterway. “Our current discussions with Oman are focused on efforts to ensure safe shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” Baqaei said, as quoted by the semi-official Fars news agency on Monday (3/8). “We are working to establish a temporary lane as soon as possible through cooperation with Oman so that the safety of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz can be guaranteed,” he said. Baqaei also denied reports of negotiations between Tehran and Washington. “We are not negotiating with the United States,” he said. The statement was made a day after US President Donald Trump said that talks with Iran would begin on Monday afternoon. Trump said he was optimistic that an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s denuclearisation programme could be reached soon. However, Baqaei stressed that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz would not change as long as the United States continued its aggressive actions and maintained its blockade against Iran. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy trade routes as it is the main link for crude oil and natural gas shipments from the Gulf region to international markets.