Speaking at his weekly press conference on Monday, Baqaei stated that as two coastal countries, Iran and Oman have held serious and progressive negotiations to establish secure maritime routes in the Strait of Hormuz. Despite third-party sabotage and interference causing occasional fluctuations, the talks have reached their final stage.
"With the final agreement reached, the joint memorandum of understanding between Iran and Oman to create a temporary secure shipping corridor in the Strait of Hormuz is expected to be officially registered with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in the coming days," he announced.
Shifting to the nuclear issue, Baqaei reacted sharply to attempts by the U.S. and the European Troika (E3) to refer Iran’s nuclear case back to the UN Security Council. He argued that legally, their move to revive the issue contradicts their own claims about the "snapback" mechanism, proving that Iran, China, and Russia were correct in considering the snapback fundamentally illegal and unenforceable.
Furthermore, Baqaei stated that the E3 only discredits itself by revisiting this path, noting that they were previously humiliated and sidelined by the U.S. as a reward for their efforts, while only complicating the nuclear dossier.
Addressing the IAEA's lack of access to Iranian nuclear centers, the spokesperson asserted that this is the direct result of the crime committed by the U.S. and the Zionist regime in attacking those facilities. "They blocked this path themselves, and now they are reproaching Iran for the impossibility of IAEA access," he said.
On the topic of diplomacy, Baqaei emphasized that negotiations are neither inherently good nor bad, but rather a tool to advance national interests and security. He reiterated that the Foreign Ministry operates in lockstep with other state branches, supports the armed forces, and remains subordinate to the decisions of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC).
Finally, responding to a question from Iran Press regarding recent controversial statements by the U.S. president—ranging from territorial claims to renaming borders—Baqaei said such disregard for international principles, state sovereignty, and geographical borders is a global issue.
"This shows that the current U.S. administration is bound by no international principles," he noted, adding that these behaviors, which unfortunately pass lightly in the media, are part of the nature of the current U.S. ruling elite. "They are part of a cognitive warfare the U.S. side has created for the whole world to constantly keep themselves in the media cycle."
M.Majdi - Hossein Amiri
