Iran has announced that it has reached an agreement with Oman for a new maritime transport route through the Strait of Hormuz.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei did not provide further details on the agreement, which he said is "in the final stages."
However, Baqaei has warned that a deal with Oman does not guarantee safe navigation through the strait, arguing that security continues to be affected by the US naval blockade of Iranian ports. The United States and Oman have not commented on the proposal.
Since the US and Israel attacked Iran in February, Tehran has largely blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a sea route through which about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) usually passes.
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump warned that Iran would be "hit very hard" if the strait was not opened "very soon".
His comments came after senior US officials said talks had progressed and could allow shipping to resume later this week.
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Iran says it is finalizing new routes through the Strait of Hormuz with Oman
However, Iran has insisted that it is not holding negotiations with the US and has no plans to do so.
In his statement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that the "geographic coordinates of the route" had been agreed upon with Oman.
"Factors that make the Strait of Hormuz unsafe by the United States continue to exist, especially the naval blockade and other aggressive and threatening actions against Iran and its interests," he said, according to the Iranian state news agency IRNA.
