OREANDA-NEWS  The United States and Iran have agreed to establish a communication line to ensure the safe passage of ships in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a joint statement by the mediators, Qatar and Pakistan. The statement was released after the recently concluded round of U.S.-Iranian talks in Switzerland.

The communication line was established to "prevent incidents and misunderstandings in order to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz" during the 60-day period stipulated by the agreement between the United States and Iran, the statement said.

Iran will make "every effort" to ensure the "safe passage of commercial vessels without charge" from the Persian Gulf to the Strait of Oman and vice versa.