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Iran and Oman are expected to soon reach an agreement on a new route for the safe transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, Press TV reported, citing an unnamed senior Iranian official.
The broadcaster said that negotiations between Tehran and Muscat over the Strait of Hormuz have entered a "new phase," in which "a bilateral understanding is within reach."
The talks are aimed at creating a central corridor through the Strait of Hormuz to ensure safe navigation and protect Iran's rights as a coastal state.
According to the official, once operational, the new corridor will replace both the existing northern and southern shipping routes.
The strait, an international shipping lane that is only 34 kilometers wide at its narrowest point, was closed by Iran in response to attacks by the United States and Israel.
Al Jazeera notes that before the war, ships followed a UN-approved two-way traffic separation scheme, under which navigation corridors passed through both Iranian and Omani waters.
After the outbreak of the war, Iran instructed all vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to use a new route passing near Iran's Larak Island, known as the northern route.
Following the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Tehran and Washington in June, the United States insisted that ships use an alternative route near Oman's coast, known as the southern route. Iran, however, opposed the move and resumed attacks on ships, arguing that it violated the ceasefire agreement.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said that ongoing negotiations between Iran and Oman had been "positive" at both the technical and political levels and were focused on establishing safe navigation routes through the Strait of Hormuz.