Iran says ‘no need’ for outside help in Hormuz mine clearance

Iran said on Tuesday that there is no need for outside interference to clear mines in the Strait of Hormuz, claiming it "will only make the situation more complicated."

"Iran knows its responsibilities better than any other party and has the ability to fulfill them, and there is no need for the intervention of others," Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told reporters, according to the state-run news agency IRN.

By signing a recent memorandum of understanding with Washington, Tehran "will make arrangements to the best of its ability to provide safe passage for merchant ships, free of charge, for a period of 60 days only from the Gulf region to the Sea of Oman and vice versa," Baqaei stated.

"The passage of merchant ships will commence immediately and, subject to the necessity of removing technical and military obstacles and mine clearance by the Islamic Republic of Iran, will be established within 30 days.

"Therefore, it is a process that has begun and will continue, and the Islamic Republic of Iran is certainly well-equipped to carry out this process without the need for intervention by any other party," he added.

A line of communication between Iran and the US is not between military authorities of the two countries, but rather between their political establishments, Baqaei noted, adding that it was handled by the Foreign Ministry on the Iranian side.

His remarks on the Strait of Hormuz came after French President Emmanuel Macron said in a Monday post on US social media platform X that France and Oman had decided to work jointly, in coordination with partners, on demining the strait to secure maritime routes and ensure "free and unconditional" passage through the strategic waterway.

Macron made the remarks following talks in Paris with Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq during his first official visit to France.

Iran has repeatedly maintained that navigation management, demining operations and temporary maritime arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz are governed by Article 5 of the Islamabad memorandum and remain under Iranian coordination as a coastal state.

The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical energy chokepoints, has remained at the center of regional tensions since the outbreak of hostilities on Feb. 28 and the Iran-US memorandum that entered into force on June 18 to restore maritime transit and establish temporary navigation mechanisms.