Oman agreement alone not enough to reopen Strait of Hormuz - Baghaei

Reaching an agreement between Iran and Oman on a route through the Strait of Hormuz will not by itself mean that the waterway will immediately reopen to maritime traffic, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said at a press conference..

"Reaching an agreement on a safe shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz is a necessary but not sufficient condition for reopening the strait," Esmaeil Baghaei said.

The spokesman added that the Strait of Hormuz had been closed not because of disagreements between Tehran and Muscat, but because of U.S. and Israeli aggression against Iran.

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the U.S. and Iran would begin negotiations on a peace agreement on August 3. Trump added that he had agreed to call off a planned major strike against the Islamic Republic in order to secure an agreement with Tehran.

According to him, Iran and several Middle Eastern countries asked Washington to refrain from carrying out the attack because the parties had already outlined the framework of a future agreement. Trump said the agreement should include the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the elimination of Iran's nuclear threat.