Iran says pact with Oman on Hormuz to be presented soon to relevant int'l body

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Iran says pact with Oman on Hormuz to be presented soon to relevant int'l body

2026-10-08 18:59 Last Updated At：20:37

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran and Muscat will soon present their agreement to the relevant international body on designating safe routes in the Strait of Hormuz.

He made the remarks in an interview with the official news agency IRNA, released Wednesday night, while elaborating on diplomatic efforts related to peace and security in West Asia, including commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

He said Iran attaches great importance to shipping security in the Strait of Hormuz, disrupted following "malicious actions" by the United States, and has spared no effort to restore security to the waterway through consultations with the other coastal state, Oman.

Last month, the semi-official Tasnim news agency cited a source close to Iran's negotiating team as saying that Tehran and Muscat had agreed on the details of new entry and exit routes for the Strait of Hormuz after "intensive technical and diplomatic talks."

Under the understanding between the two sides, the Gulf's entry route "lies entirely within Iran's territorial waters," and a portion of the exit route also falls "within Iranian territorial waters."

In addition, Baghaei said Iran's response to the U.S. proposals will be conveyed through the mediators.

Montenegro breaks ground on 237-mln-euro Budva bypass

Montenegro on Monday broke ground on a 237.47-million-euro (about 265 million U.S. dollars) bypass around the coastal city of Budva, a major tourism destination that faces heavy traffic congestion during the summer season.

The approximately 8-km bypass is designed to divert transit traffic away from the city center and improve transport conditions in the wider coastal area.

The project includes around four km of tunnels and two km of bridges, with engineering structures accounting for around 70 percent of the route. Construction is expected to take four years.

The project will be carried out by an international consortium comprising five companies from Montenegro, China and Bosnia and Herzegovina, including China's Shandong Hi-Speed Group.

Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic, Chinese Ambassador to Montenegro Chen Xufeng and other officials attended the groundbreaking ceremony in Budva.

According to Monteput, Montenegro's state-owned highway company and the project investor, the bypass will connect the Budva-Cetinje road near Markovici with the Budva-Tivat road near Lastva Grbaljska.

The project is part of Montenegro's broader plan to develop an integrated network of highways and expressways.