Iran today denied of having held any diplomatic exchanges recently with the US, though acknowledged its talks with Oman which it said were focused on arrangements to restore maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Foreign ministry spokesman Esmael Baghaei told reporters in Tehran that Tehran and Muscat, the two countries bordering the strategic waterway, have been jointly working to establish mechanisms for the safe movement of commercial shipping.
“The discussions we have had over the past few days have been exclusively with Oman,” Baghaei said.
“As the two countries with coastline in the Strait, Iran and Oman are trying to establish mechanisms regarding maritime traffic.”
He dismissed suggestions that Tehran was engaged in direct talks with Washington.
“We currently have no negotiations with the United States. The negotiations that we are having — and which may sometimes be subject to different interpretations — are the same negotiations that we are conducting with Oman, focused on creating the necessary arrangements regarding the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.
His comments came a day after an Iranian official on Sunday said that discussions between Iranian and Omani representatives over the weekend had been constructive, with negotiations on reopening the Strait of Hormuz progressing in a positive direction.
The diplomatic efforts follow a pause in US military strikes against Iranian targets, which Washington has described as an opportunity to allow negotiations to continue.
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said the lull in military action was to “give diplomacy some space.”
Waltz said that for now, Washington would assess developments over the coming days but stressed that it would continue to reinforce its military presence in the region.
“More US military assets are moving into the region,” he said, adding “The regime should believe the president when he says they’re locked and loaded.”
This comes as Iran’s paramilitary force the IRGC stopped another six vessels trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz through unauthorised routes, state television reported today.
Prior to that, the theocratic guard said they’d stopped another four vessels which attempted to transit via the southern part of the Strait after firing warning shots.
“Last night, six vessels that attempted to transit through a route other than the designated one were stopped by the IRGC Navy with warning shots and turned back,” a state television correspondent reported from the Gulf.
As per Tehran, one was involved in an “incident,” without elaborating.
