File Photo: Cargo ships and tankers are seen off coast city of Fujairah, in the Strait of Hormuz in the northern Emirate. AFP
Gharibabadi said the traffic would be “supervised and coordinated” between the two countries and designed “not to mean restrictions, but rather to facilitate and ensure safe passage and provide better services to ships that pass through this route.”
The Iranian statements come ahead of a possible UN Security Council vote on a revised Bahrain-drafted resolution to "reopen" the Strait of Hormuz, which does not invoke Chapter VII of the UN Charter, after China and Russia, two veto-holding members, reportedly rejected four earlier drafts that mandated the use of force to accomplish the goal.
The announcement also follows approval by an Iranian parliamentary commission on Monday of plans to impose tolls on vessels transiting the strait, according to State TV.
Oman and Iran are the two countries that overlook the Strait of Hormuz, the key international waterway which normally carries around a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas.
Since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran and Iranian retaliation against US bases and energy targets in the Arab Gulf countries, Tehran has closed the Strait of Hormuz to all ships affiliated with the American-Israeli aggression on the country.
Since the start of the war, crossings in the strait have dropped by roughly 95 percent, according to maritime intelligence firm Kpler, sending shockwaves through global energy markets.
Iran has said "non-hostile vessels" may transit the strait if they comply with safety and security regulations coordinated with the relevant authorities.
It has allowed tankers from countries that oppose the war or refused to join the aggression, including Japan, China, India, and Pakistan, to pass through Hormuz.
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