Iran and Oman exchange proposals to manage Strait of Hormuz
Iran and Oman have exchanged competing proposals for managing the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway whose closure has disrupted global trade. Oman's model, based on the Strait of Malacca framework, proposes voluntary fees and shared control, while Iran insists on maintaining significant authority over the passage.
Negotiations between Iran and Oman over the future governance of the Strait of Hormuz have advanced with the exchange of formal proposals, though substantial disagreements remain unresolved. Oman presented a framework modeled on the Strait of Malacca arrangement, under which Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore collect voluntary contributions from vessels transiting the waterway to fund navigation services, environmental safeguards, and rescue operations. The Omani proposal would establish a joint regional mechanism preventing any single nation from exercising exclusive control, according to regional sources and Western diplomats cited by Reuters.
Iran's deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, rejected Oman's proposal for equal division of transit routes, arguing it fails to address Tehran's security concerns. Instead, Iran has countered with its own arrangement whereby Iran would manage shipping through its territorial waters while Oman would oversee only a portion of the opposite lane. Gharibabadi emphasized that Tehran maintains no intention to negotiate with the United States but continues step-by-step discussions with Oman, warning that Iran will consider all measures, including military action, to preserve control over the strait.
Al Jazeera correspondents reporting from Tehran indicated that despite public rhetoric, Iran has demonstrated some flexibility in negotiations. However, multiple contentious issues persist between the two nations, including the specific trajectories vessels must follow, the structure and amount of any fees, the authority responsible for defining arrangements, and responsibility for mine clearance operations, which Iran is expected to undertake.
Paul Musgrave, a professor at Georgetown University in Qatar, characterized Oman's initiative as constructive but cautioned that Iranian hardliners may resist the proposal. He noted a significant disparity between the Strait of Malacca model, which generates approximately $70 million annually in voluntary contributions, and Iran's reported demand of $1 million per vessel as a service fee. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has created substantial disruption to global commerce, and the negotiations represent an attempt to restore normal shipping operations.
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