Iran, Oman Agree Hormuz Safe Routes as CENTCOM Rejects Closure Claim
Tehran says it fixed safe Hormuz corridors with Muscat, while an IRGC adviser vows to shut ‘illegal routes’ and CENTCOM calls the closure claim false.
TEHRAN — Iran and Oman have agreed on the geographical coordinates of safe transit routes into and out of the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on October 7. The same day, a senior Revolutionary Guards adviser declared the waterway closed, and US Central Command called that claim false.
The Iran–Oman agreement
“Iran and Oman have reached an agreement on the geographical coordinates of safe transit routes in the Strait of Hormuz and on how they will be communicated to the relevant international body,” Baghaei said, according to the state news agency IRNA as cited by Iran International. He said that step would be taken soon but did not name the body.
The deal builds on a phased framework the two countries agreed in August to set up a temporary navigation corridor, clear mines and work toward a permanent route with traffic management and information sharing, Gulf News reported. It does not by itself guarantee commercial ships unconditional passage. Tehran has said a formal reopening depends on Washington meeting seven conditions under an arrangement being discussed through Qatari mediation, Iran International reported.
‘Illegal routes’ near Oman
Mohammadreza Naqdi, an adviser to the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), told the semi-official Fars news agency: “The Strait of Hormuz is closed, and the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have full control over it. This situation will continue until Iran’s legitimate demands are met.”
He said a “few routes” on the southern side of the strait, hugging Oman’s coast, had been created by blasting rocky passages and were used by “small boats smuggling oil and transferring it to tankers.” Those routes would soon be closed, he said, according to Reuters as published by Al-Monitor.
CENTCOM’s response
CENTCOM rejected the closure claim in a post on X. “This is FALSE,” the command said. “Traffic is flowing through the Strait of Hormuz right now carrying commercial goods and energy supplies, including 20 million barrels of crude oil. The United States and regional partners clearly control the strait.”
What the shipping data show
The numbers support parts of both accounts. Kpler data showed a seven-day average of 18.3 million barrels per day of crude exports from the region on September 30, with volumes above pre-war levels on 14 days in September, Reuters reported. That total includes Gulf oil shipped through Hormuz, via the Red Sea, and from terminals and ship-to-ship transfers in the Gulf of Oman.
Traffic through the strait itself remains thin and uneven. Another IRGC adviser, Majid Mirahmadi, said about 10 ships a day now make the crossing, against an average of 125 before the war began on February 28. Kpler counted only five commodity vessels crossing on Saturday, October 3, and none the next day, Iran International reported.
Iran’s diplomats are pursuing a parallel track. Baghaei said Tehran had “clearly and firmly” set out its conditions for ending the war and would send its response to US proposals through mediators, according to Gulf News.
What it means
Analysis: The Oman agreement and Naqdi’s warning point in the same direction. Tehran wants traffic through the strait to follow routes it has approved, with any opening tied to its political demands. If Iran moves to shut the lanes along Oman’s coast, it would directly test CENTCOM’s statement that the United States and its partners control the waterway, and could disrupt the partial recovery in Gulf exports.
Sources
- Iran International: Iran says it agreed with Oman on safe transit routes
- Gulf News: US CENTCOM rejects Iran’s claim of Hormuz closure
- Al-Monitor/Reuters: ‘Illegal routes’ in Strait of Hormuz to soon be blocked
Additional sources
- TASS: Iran, Oman to submit agreement on Strait of Hormuz to international body: Baghaei’s statement that the Tehran–Muscat consultations were successful and notification will come “in the near future”
