Following the latest threat from US President Donald Trump to Iran, efforts for a diplomatic solution to the conflict continue. “Everyone in the Region is working together to avoid an escalation of the situation,” said Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid al-Ansari in the capital Doha. He spoke of diplomatic efforts that are still underway and that, according to him, “have already advanced significantly.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also confirmed that progress has been made in the ongoing talks, but a final agreement has not yet been reached. “We hope that this will happen very soon,” he said.
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman al-Ansari said that no agreement has been reached regarding the Strait of Hormuz so far, but that this could “change in the coming days or hours.” According to information from Iran, only talks are currently taking place through intermediaries and there are no direct contacts between Tehran and Washington.
Iran proposes new route for Strait of Hormuz
US President Donald Trump on Monday (03.08.) again put pressure on Tehran to reach a negotiated solution. At the White House, he declared: “I want to give them one last chance before they face very serious consequences.” First, according to him, the opening of the Strait of Hormuz should be discussed and then the resolution of the dispute over the Iranian nuclear program should be discussed.
Iran has now floated a proposal for a kind of circular route through the Strait of Hormuz. Under the proposal, commercial ships could enter the Strait of Hormuz from a northern corridor that passes through Iranian territorial waters. After stopping at ports in Iran or in the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, they could use a southern corridor for the return, passing through the territorial waters of Oman.
But according to The New York Times, the US Department of Defense has reservations about this proposal. According to reports, there are still many Iranian naval mines in Omani waters, which would require coordination with Iran for the safe passage of ships. This solution would also give Tehran the ability to control which ships enter the Persian Gulf and set fees for their entry.