Iran and Oman set Strait of Hormuz shipping coordinates as blockade persists

Iran and Oman have finalised the geographical coordinates for designated safe transit routes within the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei announced on Wednesday, 7 October. The agreement establishes specific corridors for vessels entering and exiting the strategic waterway, marking a technical step in a phased framework intended to manage maritime traffic. Technical specifications and sovereignty The deal includes a formal mechanism to communicate these coordinates to international maritime bodies, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency. Details previously released by Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, indicate the temporary route is seven miles wide. Crucially, the entry point and a section of the exit route pass directly through Iranian territorial waters, allowing Tehran significant oversight of transit. The announcement follows a preliminary framework established on 25 August, which involved clearing mines and setting up temporary information-sharing arrangements. Despite the technical agreement on coordinates, Iranian officials maintain that the strait is not yet fully reopened to unconditional commercial traffic. Geopolitical conditions for reopening The timing of the announcement coincides with continued pressure from Tehran regarding the Islamabad memorandum. President Masoud Pezeshkian has stated that a full reopening of the waterway remains contingent on the United States fulfilling specific commitments…