Middle East situation tracking: Hormuz "open statement" still no news, Iran, Oman hold consultations
According to reports from CCTV News, Observer.com and other media, there has been no positive progress as of press time regarding the so-called "statement on the opening of the Strait of Hormuz" that global investors have been eagerly awaiting. As background, since Friday, many US media have leaked that the United States is asking Iran to issue a statement publicly announcing that the Strait of Hormuz is fully open and promising not to attack oil tankers passing through the waterway. There are even US officials who expect Iran to "accept this position" after talks with Oman on Saturday, otherwise "it will not be a good day for them."
According to reports from CCTV News, Observer.com and other media, there has been no positive progress as of press time regarding the so-called "statement on the opening of the Strait of Hormuz" that global investors have been eagerly awaiting. As background, since Friday, many US media have leaked that the United States is asking Iran to issue a statement publicly announcing that the Strait of Hormuz is fully open and promising not to attack oil tankers passing through the waterway. There are even US officials who expect Iran to "accept this position" after talks with Oman on Saturday, otherwise "it will not be a good day for them." Then on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi led a delegation to visit Muscat, the capital of Oman, and held talks with Omani Foreign Minister Badr. According to an official announcement, the two sides focused on discussing bilateral relations between Iran and Oman, regional situations and the Strait of Hormuz issue. Oman expressed the hope that Iran and the United States can fully implement the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding, ease regional tensions through diplomatic channels, and promote the improvement of the regional security situation. During the talks, the two sides also exchanged views on establishing relevant mechanisms to ensure the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz around Article 5 of the memorandum of understanding. According to media reports citing informed diplomatic officials, in addition to Oman and Iran, Qatari officials also participated as mediators in Saturday's Muscat talks. The three parties discussed a potential statement on the issue of passage through the strait, which may involve the full opening of the "Middle Channel" in the Strait of Hormuz in international waters (note: many parties have previously stated that there are mines in the area). In response, Iranian sources said that Qatar’s participation in the talks was aimed at coordinating negotiations between Iran and other countries in the region, and that the Strait of Hormuz issue can only be decided by Iran and Oman. In addition, informed sources revealed that Oman proposed the simultaneous opening of "dual waterways" during the talks. Among them, the northern channel passing through Iran’s territorial waters is managed by Iran, while the southern channel passing through Oman’s territorial waters continues to be freely navigable. It should be noted that the key contradiction between the United States' continuous attacks on Iran this week and its announcement that "the ceasefire is over" is that the two sides have huge differences over "who has the final say over the passage of the Strait of Hormuz." Therefore, Iran launched attacks on three ships traveling on the southern waterway, and then the situation in the region took a turn for the worse. Obviously, if there is an "Oman route" that can be passed freely, shipowners have no reason to actively choose a route that requires Iran's approval. In news that is not conducive to cooling the situation, U.S. media quoted U.S. officials on Saturday as reporting that Trump would only give U.S. negotiators a limited time to reach an agreement with Iran. If negotiations fail, Trump will have "many options to choose from." Just the day before, Trump had publicly threatened that 1,000 missiles had been aimed at Iran and that if Iran "assassinated or attempted to assassinate" him, thousands more missiles would be launched immediately. Earlier reports stated that Israeli intelligence agencies recently informed the United States that Tehran was "considering a plan to assassinate the President of the United States." [Iran’s supreme leader vows “revenge”] Iran's Supreme Leader Mujtaba issued a statement on his social media account on the 11th, stating that he would "revenge" the late Supreme Leader Khamenei and the victims of the recent "two wars." Mujtaba said that the Iranian people will defend the ideas of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and inherit his legacy. He also said that revenge is the demand and will of the Iranian people and must be realized. On the 9th local time, the burial ceremony of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was held in his birthplace, Mashhad, a city in northeastern Iran. [Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Has rejected the request to negotiate with the United States] Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bagaei said that Iran has rejected the request for negotiations with the United States. In an interview with Iranian state television on the evening of the 10th, Bagaei said that the United States has systematically violated the Iran-US memorandum of understanding by implementing a new round of military strikes, sanctions and canceling Iran’s oil sales license. He said that Iran will only fulfill its commitments on a reciprocal basis and will continue to adhere to "commitments for commitments." He said: "We will not fulfill any commitments without reciprocal measures. If the other party violates its commitments, Iran will take necessary actions, just as we have done in the past." (