Muscat: Iran and Oman have agreed on details of new entry and exit routes for the Strait of Hormuz and will brief Gulf countries on the outcome of their consultations at a regional meeting in Muscat on Monday, Iranian officials have said.

Citing a source close to Iran's negotiating team, semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that the understanding was reached after intensive technical and diplomatic talks between Iran and Oman, culminating in a final agreement in late August. Under the proposed arrangement, the entry route from the Gulf lies entirely within Iran's territorial waters, while part of the exit route also falls within Iranian territorial waters. The source added that the southern route would be closed once the new system becomes operational, despite US insistence that it remain open.

"The understanding in no way means that the Strait of Hormuz will be opened," the source said, adding that Iran has seven conditions for reopening the waterway and has conveyed them to the United States. The strait will remain closed unless those conditions are implemented, with any reopening depending entirely on US actions.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said foreign ministers of Gulf littoral states would meet in Oman on Monday to discuss regional issues, including the Iran-Oman consultations on designating safe routes through the strait. Bahrain's foreign ministry said it would not participate in any collective meeting involving Iran until diplomatic relations between the two countries are restored, citing attacks on its infrastructure and civilian sites.

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