The Omani and Iranian foreign ministers discussed on Tuesday, August 25, a framework agreement providing for a "temporary corridor" for navigation and a mine-clearing operation in the Strait of Hormuz, but failed to agree on a complete reopening of the passage.
The Strait of Hormuz remains at the heart of delicate negotiations between Muscat and Tehran. Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi stated on X that he hopes to "announce soon" the opening of this corridor and "the practical arrangements for restoring safe navigation." A joint statement issued after the discussions specifies that negotiations will continue to establish a "permanent" corridor and define "the future management of the strait."
On Wednesday, Iran's Revolutionary Guard announced that "certain agreements have been reached regarding each country's share of the waters of the Strait and Iran's and Oman's share of its revenues." According to several media outlets, the proposed arrangement stipulates that ships entering the Gulf will pass through Iranian waters, while those leaving will use Omani waters, with Tehran retaining oversight of all traffic.
Iran has been blocking this strategic waterway since the start of the war in February. Before the conflict, a fifth of the world's hydrocarbons transited through it. The memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 between Washington and Tehran, which notably included the reopening of the strait, has since collapsed, making any compromise on navigation crucial for a possible resumption of peace negotiations.
Tehran is conditioning the full reopening of the Strait of Gibraltar on a cessation of hostilities "on all fronts" and the lifting of the US blockade of Iranian ports. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi reiterated this unequivocally. Washington, for its part, categorically opposes the imposition of tolls in the Strait. Donald Trump has also claimed that the passage is under US control, a claim Tehran has denied, and threatened Oman with bombing if the Sultanate "gets in the way" of the United States.
These divergent positions explain the slowness of the process, according to Omani researcher Abdallah Baabood. “Oman and Iran are effectively negotiating the elements of a post-war governance and security architecture for the Strait of Hormuz,” he analyzes. The discussions focus on sovereignty, jurisdiction, ship control, and the compliance of any agreement with international law. Oman seeks to “dissociate freedom of navigation from the broader conflict as much as possible,” while Tehran links the issue to the global standoff with Washington. These divergent strategies constitute, according to Baabood, “the real source of the delay.”
Muscat is playing a perilous mediating role between the two powers. To avoid appearing to endorse lasting Iranian control, Oman is involving the other littoral states in the discussions and invoking international law. The goal would be to reach a "collective guarantee of freedom of navigation," rather than relying on Iranian coercion or a permanent American military presence. "It would be a very Omani outcome: not a grand peace agreement, but a practical arrangement," the researcher summarizes.
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