05/08/26, Iran has rejected US President Donald Trump's and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's claims that the Strait of Hormuz could reopen under a new agreement within days, insisting that its ongoing negotiations with Oman are not being held with US participation and are instead focused on creating a new maritime framework that safeguards Iran's sovereignty.

 According to Press TV, citing an informed source, Tehran said the talks with Oman are aimed at establishing what it described as an "intermediate corridor" through the strategic waterway.

The source said the proposed arrangement would replace both the existing Iran-controlled northern route and the US-backed southern route with a new corridor designed to protect Iran's sovereignty, national interests and security.

Iran dismisses Trump's timeline

The remarks came after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States could reach an agreement with Iran "today or tomorrow" to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restore freedom of navigation.

President Donald Trump had also said negotiations were progressing and suggested the waterway could reopen quickly.

Iran, however, rejected those claims.

According to Press TV, the source said, "Trump has violated his commitments, and Iran is moving forward with its plan to establish arrangements in the Strait independently of US threats, and it will succeed."

The source added, "Iran does not shape its interests and priorities based on schedule or demands of Trump."

Iran says talks are progressing with Oman

Earlier on Tuesday, Iran's state-run IRNA News Agency said technical and political discussions with Oman had been "constructive."

"Technical and political discussions have so far been constructive. Iran is working with Oman to develop frameworks for future maritime traffic management in this strategic chokepoint, with final results to be publicized once finalized," IRNA quoted Iranian officials as saying.

Separately, Al Jazeera, citing Iranian diplomatic sources and official statements, reported that the negotiations with Oman have been making steady progress despite remaining differences.

According to the report, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently indicated that the talks had made good progress. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei also described the negotiations positively while acknowledging that some issues still remain unresolved.

Diplomatic sources in Tehran told Al Jazeera that an agreement is now within reach, although they accused unnamed "disrupting actors" of attempting to derail the process. The sources said it was possible that a deal could be reached by the end of Wednesday.

Proposed arrangement gives Iran greater control

According to the Press TV report, the proposed agreement with Oman would significantly expand Iran's oversight of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

The report said Iran would exercise full sovereign authority over all inbound commercial shipping, while Oman would play a limited role in clearing outbound vessels.

However, Oman would do so only after notifying Iranian authorities, allowing Tehran to maintain visibility over vessel movements and retain the ability to intervene whenever necessary, according to the report.

Hormuz deal could open the door for wider diplomacy

According to Al Jazeera, Iranian diplomatic sources believe the Oman negotiations are significant primarily because they could create a mechanism for managing trade through the Strait of Hormuz rather than resolving the broader conflict.

The report said that if Tehran and Muscat succeed in reaching an agreement, it could pave the way for wider diplomatic engagement between Iran and the United States.

However, officials indicated that several major disputes would still remain unresolved.

These include de-mining operations in and around the Strait of Hormuz, the US naval blockade, sanctions relief, the return of Iran's frozen overseas assets, the future of Iran's nuclear programme, and security guarantees that Tehran has sought to prevent what it views as another cycle of war followed by temporary peace and renewed confrontation.

According to Al Jazeera, Iranian officials maintain that all of these issues ultimately need to be resolved through diplomacy rather than another round of military escalation.

Strait of Hormuz remains the key sticking point

The Strait of Hormuz has become the central issue in diplomatic efforts to ease the nearly six-month conflict between Iran and the United States.

Before the war, commercial vessels moved freely through the waterway, which carried around one-fifth of global oil shipments.

Since hostilities escalated, Iran has tightened control over the strait and has pushed for a new maritime management framework, while the United States has continued to insist on unrestricted freedom of navigation.

Despite growing diplomatic activity involving Oman and Washington's optimism about a breakthrough, Iran continues to reject suggestions that any agreement is being negotiated directly with the United States, maintaining that the current negotiations remain exclusively between Tehran and Muscat.

Source:Network18