Muscat has presented Tehran with a proposal for a joint regional mechanism to administer the Strait of Hormuz, financed by voluntary fees. The initiative, which appears to be gaining traction in the region, would preclude any exclusive Iranian control over this strategic waterway.
The Omani proposal, revealed on Tuesday, July 28, by a Gulf source, is directly inspired by the model in place in the Strait of Malacca, between Indonesia and Malaysia. In this system, shipping companies voluntarily contribute to the financing of navigation, environmental protection, and search and rescue operations. Applied to the Strait of Hormuz, this model would involve shared governance, without Tehran holding the reins.
The move comes amid a fragile lull in tensions. The United States suspended its airstrikes against Iran on Friday, after nearly two weeks of uninterrupted attacks. Tehran, for its part, ceased retaliating against American allies in the region, reviving hopes for a diplomatic solution.
The signals remain contradictory, however. Iran asserted on Monday that it still controlled the strait and that it was not seeking to resume negotiations with Washington. Donald TrumpHe, for his part, welcomed the same day the holding of "good discussions" with Tehran, while reiterating his threats of bombing if the talks did not succeed.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated on Tuesday that he had spoken the previous day with his Omani and Saudi counterparts about the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that he had "emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation and advance joint diplomatic efforts to establish stability in the region and end the insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz caused by the aggressive actions of the United States."
A transit route for approximately 20% of the world's oil, the Strait of Hormuz remains one of the most closely monitored points of tension in international maritime trade.
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