WASHINGTON — Iran claims a new deal with neighboring Oman could partially reopen the Strait of Hormuz — but the proposed arrangement would only create a temporary, limited corridor while leaving Tehran with significant control over the world’s most important oil chokepoint.
Iranian state media said Thursday that Tehran is “in the final stages” of confirming a temporary shipping arrangement with Oman that would create a limited new shipping lane through the center of the strait — after President Trump this week ordered the waterway reopened.
Under the leaked proposal, which may or may not be the final version, commercial ships would no longer use the existing traffic lanes running along Iran and Oman’s coastlines. Instead, vessels would be routed through a narrow central corridor jointly managed by Iran and Oman — giving Tehran a role in controlling traffic through the strategic waterway.
The proposed corridor would replace the current system, which allows ships to transit through separate lanes hugging Iran’s coastline and Oman’s shores. The US-backed route along Oman’s coastline has been opposed by Tehran and has been targeted in previous attacks blamed on Iran-backed forces.
The traffic would pass through the central corridor without fees for two to four months while Tehran and Muscat negotiate a longer-term agreement — including whether Iran can impose transit charges on vessels using the waterway, according to Iranian media.
The US continues to insist no fees may be implemented to access the strait.
“Any temporary routes will be without any impediments — meaning no approvals or permissions and no tolls or charges,” a US official told The Post on Thursday. “The Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway and no party controls the lanes or the ability to transit through them.”
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told the state-owned IRNA news agency on Thursday that the new arrangement would give Tehran more control over the strait.
“This understanding … represents a new model distinct from the practice of the past 60 years, under which a significant portion of the shipping route will pass through Iran’s territorial waters,” he said.
However, the path would still require de-mining before ships could safely use it, raising questions about how quickly the corridor could actually become operational.
Iranian state media also reported an eventual agreement to fully reopen the strait won’t happen unless Washington first lifts its naval blockade on Iranian ports, eases energy sanctions and unfreezes Iranian assets.
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As details of the possible agreement are floated, Iran and Oman have signaled that a final draft would be released “soon,” with Tehran claiming it will come in the form of a joint statement to be released as early as Friday.
President Trump on Thursday also said a deal to reopen the strait “could be [coming] soon,” stating he was involved in the talks despite Iranian officials publicly denying that Washington and Tehran are negotiating directly.
The temporary arrangement would buy time for negotiations over a second phase of the agreement, which Iran claims would involve hammering out a permanent role in managing the strait. Axios on Tuesday reported that broader talks could also include Iran’s nuclear program.
A second US official on Thursday said nuclear talks are continuously occurring, despite Iranian officials repeatedly denying that direct negotiations with Washington are underway.
Follow The Post’s latest coverage on the blocked Strait of Hormuz and its lasting effects
The Institute for the Study of War late Wednesday said Tehran likely views the shipping arrangement as “an initial step as part of a broader and more comprehensive agreement related to the strait” — and is unlikely to surrender its leverage without securing wider concessions from the US.
Iranian officials have previously said the Strait of Hormuz will not fully reopen unless Washington lifts its naval blockade on Iranian ports, eases energy sanctions and unfreezes Iranian assets.
The think tank further added that the competing messaging is likely indicative of internal hangups within the Iranian government, which is divided by pro-diplomacy politicians motivated by Iran’s crumbling economy and hardliners who favor no concessions to the US.
“The repeated insistence of Iranian officials that the Iran-Oman talks only cover technical transit arrangements further indicates that the regime has not yet reached consensus on the agreement,” ISW said. “This lack of consensus on the agreement likely reflects the regime’s internal divisions over negotiations.”
The updates come after Trump warned Tuesday that Iran would be “hit very hard” if the waterway was not reopened “very soon.”
The White House has not publicly commented on the reported Iran-Oman arrangement, and Oman has yet to release details of the proposal.
The strategic waterway — which normally carries about 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas exports — has operated under severe restrictions since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran in February, sending global energy markets into turmoil and disrupting one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
Oil traders appeared cautiously optimistic, with Brent crude edging lower Thursday despite lingering uncertainty over whether the proposed shipping corridor will actually become operational.
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