French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to help clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz alongside Oman, drawing an immediate rejection from Tehran.
Macron announced the cooperation on June 29 after meeting Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq at the Élysée Palace in Paris.
He said France and Oman would work with partners to secure shipping and guarantee “free and unconditional passage” through the waterway.
The Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean, has been disrupted by mines and Iranian restrictions since US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February.
A joint Franco-Omani statement said both leaders backed reopening the strait and reaffirmed their commitment to free navigation under international maritime law.
The two countries also signed wide-ranging accords on economic, scientific, cultural and industrial cooperation.
Within hours, Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi rejected any outside involvement, insisting demining was a task for Tehran alone.
He cautioned Paris against complicating what he termed a sensitive situation with its “provocations”.
Gharibabadi pointed to a memorandum of understanding signed by Iran and the United States, under which Tehran would carry out the clearance itself.
According to broadcaster CBS News, the document assigns the removal of about 80 mines to Iran within 30 days.
The French initiative followed two attacks on vessels in recent days near an alternative corridor off Oman’s coast, used by ships seeking to avoid mined routes in the centre of the strait.
Iran and Oman held their first talks on managing the waterway the same day, on a track separate from the French effort.
Oman, long regarded as a regional mediator, has positioned itself as a neutral broker between Tehran and Washington.
Traffic through the strait remained at a fraction of pre-war levels, with shipping wary of mines and drone strikes.
Before the conflict, about 110 vessels crossed each day; the number has since fallen sharply.
The dispute came as Washington and Tehran were due to resume talks in Qatar, though the two sides gave conflicting accounts of the schedule.
Macron, nearing the end of his final term, has sought a prominent role in easing tensions across the Middle East.
