Iran announces the establishment of a “direct communication line” with the US regarding Hormuz.
Iranian television reported on Friday the establishment of what it described as a direct “line of communication” with the United States to prevent any incidents in the Strait of Hormuz that could lead to a military confrontation between the two countries.
Iranian television confirmed that the establishment of a line or “communication channel” between the two countries comes in implementation of Article 5 of the memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States.
Sources, according to Press TV , indicated that the final statement issued by the mediators following last week’s talks in Switzerland stipulated the establishment of this channel to avoid any incidents in the strategic waterway that could lead to a military confrontation, and to implement the provisions of Article 5 of the Memorandum of Understanding signed in Islamabad.
Iran confirmed that the understanding stipulates that any passage through the Strait of Hormuz must be via routes announced by the leadership in Tehran.
In this context, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi stressed on Friday that “ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz cannot be achieved under ambiguous arrangements, parallel routes, or decision-making mechanisms that ignore Iran’s role as a coastal state.”
He added that “any failure to coordinate with Tehran will lead to the suspension of work on any parallel tracks.”
Article 5 of the Memorandum of Understanding stipulates that talks will be held between Iran and the Sultanate of Oman to determine the mechanism for the future management of the Strait and maritime services, in accordance with international law and the sovereign rights of coastal states.
Shafaq.com