Iran has agreed to establish a communication channel regarding the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz to avoid conflicts and incidents, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said.
“Problems can arise in the Strait of Hormuz, so we agreed to establish a center and a communication line so that if obstacles arise, we can resolve them more quickly within a 30-day period,“ the Mehr news agency quoted the senior official as saying.
“This communication line is not intended to obtain permission to pass through Iran, it is a separate procedure. This line is only for resolving ship problems or potential incidents where clarifications can be provided,“ Ghalibaf added.
He stressed that the strait would never be managed as it was before the war. “Of course, international law will be respected and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will be regulated by Iran in accordance with these norms and the rules established by Iran“, Ghalibaf said.
The politician also reported that during talks with the US in Switzerland, the parties agreed on a procedure for unblocking frozen Iranian assets worth $12 billion.
Iranian Ambassador to Iraq, Mohammad Kazem al-Sadegh, denied reports that Tehran had refused to support Hezbollah during his dialogue with US representatives, INA reported.
“The Lebanese issue has always been an integral part of the Islamic Republic's position in negotiations with the US“, the Iranian ambassador to Baghdad noted, adding that “Tehran has always linked the ceasefire on the Lebanese front to the end of hostilities, as in Iran, and in the Persian Gulf region as a whole. Iran does not forget its Lebanese brothers and does not abandon them alone“, stressed al-Sadegh.
He noted that the Iranian authorities view the Shiite militias operating in Iraq as “a resistance movement in response to the actions of terrorist organizations, especially the “Islamic State“.
Furthermore, according to al-Sadegh, Iran believes that “the actions of the Shiite resistance groups in Iraq are a natural reaction of the people to the occupation and foreign aggression“. According to the Iranian ambassador, “the presence of US troops in Iraq makes its security and stability vulnerable to regional conflicts“.
Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi held talks in Muscat with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the Omani Foreign Ministry announced.
“The parties stressed the importance of using the current diplomatic moment to support peace efforts, strengthen the ceasefire and stability, which will increase the chances of reducing tensions, maintaining regional security and ensuring the safety of maritime navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and international corridors“, the statement said.
Bilateral relations, good-neighborly principles and recent developments in the Middle East were also discussed during the meeting. The Iranian delegation arrived in the sultanate on an official visit after talks with US officials in Switzerland.
Paris will not support the lifting of sanctions against Iran if it contradicts France's security interests, Al-Hadath TV reported.
According to a source at the French Foreign Ministry, Paris “will prevent the lifting of sanctions against Iran if it contradicts France's security interests“. The same source noted that “the agreement reached between Iran and the US is only the first step, and the next steps will be the most difficult“.
A source at the French Foreign Ministry expressed skepticism about the future of the Iran-US agreements, saying he believed “the Lebanese issue will lead to the failure of the agreement between Tehran and Washington“.