Iran says held first meeting with Oman on managing Hormuz

TEHRAN: Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday it had held the first meeting with Oman on managing the Strait of Hormuz since Tehran and Washington signed their preliminary deal to end the Middle East war.

Both Iran and Oman say they hold sovereignty over the waterway, a vital route for Gulf energy exports that Tehran blockaded during the war.

“During a trip to Muscat, the first meeting of the Joint Hormuz Committee was held,” said Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi on X, without specifying the date.

“While reviewing the current issues related to the strait, we exchanged views on the future management,” he added.

Hormuz is a narrow stretch of water separating Iran and Oman that is only about 30km (18 miles) wide.

The future of the strait has been a key sticking point during talks between Tehran and Washington to end their conflict.

Iran is considering imposing “services fees” that did not exist before the war, while the US opposes any charges, arguing Hormuz is an international waterway.

In recent days, Oman has indicated an ambiguous stance on the issue.

Last Tuesday, following a visit by Iranian officials, Oman and Iran announced in a joint statement that they were examining the costs associated with the future management of the strait.

But later in the week Oman indicated that no “passage fees” were planned and announced the opening of a “temporary maritime corridor” close to its coast that it said was coordinated with the UN.

Iran responded by saying the only authorised passage was a corridor skirting its own coastline.

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi warned on Sunday that any attempt to use alternative routes risked “escalating tensions” in the region.

It followed a flare-up in hostilities in which Iran struck a commercial ship in the strait and the US responded with strikes on Iranian coastal targets.

The memorandum of understanding reached between Tehran and Washington stipulates that “Iran will engage in a dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman to define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz, in consultation with other Persian Gulf littoral states, in accordance with applicable international law and the sovereign rights of the coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz”.

The text says passage through the strait was to be toll-free “for 60 days only” after the signing of the deal. It remains unclear what will happen after that period.