During a visit to Tehran, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani called on Iranian officials to respect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Following pressure from mediators, Iran agreed to draw up conditions for restoring normal maritime traffic through the international waterway.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Iran and Oman had agreed on a shipping corridor through the strait, with sections running through both countries’ waters. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards separately said the two countries had agreed in principle on administering traffic and sharing revenues, although a senior Iranian source said details were still being worked out.

Iran has made use of the corridor contingent on the US meeting certain conditions, which in the past have included lifting sanctions and ending the blockade of Iranian ports.

Traffic through the strait remains at roughly 5%–15% of normal levels. Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, said US forces had cleared sea mines from the waterway and helped 1,500 commercial vessels carrying nearly 750 million barrels of crude oil transit the strait in recent months.

Despite US statements that the route is open, many vessels continue to avoid the strait because of Iranian threats.

The UN’s International Maritime Organization has reported 70 incidents in the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war, killing 19 seafarers.

(Reuters, max)