Qatar says regional efforts focus on reopening Hormuz Strait, reviving US-Iran MoU

Doha, Aug 18 (IANS) Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said Tuesday that ongoing regional efforts are focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and returning to the US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU).

Speaking at a weekly media briefing, Ansari said the latest escalation included “the violation of the ceasefire and the tensions at the Strait of Hormuz,” adding that efforts are focused on ensuring a return to what was stipulated in the MoU.

Al Ansari said Qatar is still awaiting an agreement between Oman and Iran regarding the strait, which he said would help pave the way for a return to negotiations, Xinhua News Agency reported.

“The only way to move forward is a ceasefire, the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and going back to normal or freedom of navigation and going back to the negotiations,” he said.

Iran and Oman have been in talks in recent months over the navigation arrangements through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that Iran and Oman have agreed on the map of the new route for maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

He made the remarks at a weekly press conference in Tehran while elaborating on the latest progress of negotiations between Iran and Oman on the designation of a safe route for passage through the strait.

Baghaei said the two countries are supposed to finalise the agreement in the form of a package comprising the map and a joint statement, Xinhua News Agency reported.

He attributed the protraction of the process to the issue’s complexity, “the number of the players” seeking to influence the process, and “attempts by certain malicious parties.”

Baghaei said Tehran and Muscat are continuing the talks with seriousness, and exchanging their views on the joint statement’s text, adding that both sides want to develop a mechanism capable of safeguarding their interests, addressing their concerns and taking into account considerations regarding international shipping.

–IANS

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