Oman Reaffirms Commitment to Duty-Free Safe Passage in the Strait of Hormuz

Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi has reaffirmed his country’s commitment to international law and a ‘duty-free’ safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz after talks with senior Iranian officials in Muscat. In a statement on social media platform X, Albusaidi said discussions with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi focused on the recent US-Iran memorandum of understanding, ‘specifically the paragraph regarding the Strait of Hormuz’. The negotiations took place following the arrival of the two senior negotiators in Oman to discuss the management of the strategic waterway. ‘We reaffirm our commitment to international law and the duty-free safe passage,’ Albusaidi said. The US and Iran signed the memorandum of understanding remotely last week, agreeing to a 60-day negotiation period to resolve disputes, including the fate of Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium as part of its nuclear programme, as well as other unresolved issues. The 14-point document calls for an immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, the lifting of the US naval blockade against Iran, and a safe passage for commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.