Tehran [Iran], September 13: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has held out the prospect of reopening the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, the ISNA news agency reported on Saturday. However, Pezeshkian made the move conditional on an end of the US naval blockade of Iranian ports and US military action.
Pezeshkian made the remarks in an interview with Indian television channel India Today, ISNA wrote, adding that the full text of the interview is due to be published later by the Iranian presidential office.
Pezeshkian reportedly said that Oman and Iran are to sign an agreement on Monday in the Omani capital, Muscat, on new shipping routes through the strait.
Both countries border the waterway, which is key for the global oil and gas trade. Pezeshkian added that the foreign ministers of the Arab states bordering the Gulf will also attend the signing ceremony.
The agreement is then to be submitted to the International Maritime Organization, according to the Iranian president. Around 20% of global energy trade passed through the Strait of Hormuz before the US and Israel began attacking Iran in late February.
Tehran responded by effectively blocking the waterway using attacks and threats against ships.
The US has sought to pressure Iran into reopening the strait by imposing its own naval blockade on Iranian ports, alongside economic sanctions. Fighting between the two sides in the Strait of Hormuz has recently escalated again.
Pezeshkian is currently attending the BRICS summit in India. The acronym BRICS stands for the initial letters of the first five members: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia are also members of the group.
Source: Qatar Tribune