Will Strait of Hormuz Tensions Ease? Iran and Oman Make Progress on Joint Shipping Routes

Iran and Oman have agreed to pursue initiatives such as opening a "temporary joint maritime corridor" and launching a joint mine-clearing project to resume safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, where passage has been restricted due to recent conflicts.

While this marks a rare breakthrough in negotiations surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, its practical effectiveness remains uncertain due to deeply hostile relations between the United States and Iran—the ultimate parties required to resolve the issue—and a lack of common ground on core disputes.

According to a joint statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry on the 25th local time, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, who was on a working visit to Iran, held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran to discuss ways to ensure safe navigation and management of the Strait of Hormuz.

The two countries stated that they discussed a practical and actionable "phrased framework" taking into account the situation in the strait created by recent wars and their destructive aftermath.

This includes an agreement to open a temporary joint maritime corridor through the Strait of Hormuz and execute a joint mine-clearing project within the strait.

In addition, the countries decided to continue working-level technical negotiations to reach agreements on establishing a permanent maritime corridor, long-term management plans for the strait, building information exchange systems, managing maritime traffic, and providing related maritime and security services.

Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that Iran and Oman plan to hold additional talks within the next 30 to 60 days to negotiate a new permanent route.

The agreement between Iran and Oman comes amid mediation efforts by neighboring countries to broker a deal between the United States and Iran regarding the Strait of Hormuz.

Mediators have been working to ease the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz and restore the ceasefire memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the United States and Iran last June.

The Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint that once handled about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments, is currently effectively blockaded.

After the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28 of this year, Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. has also maintained a counter-blockade of Iranian waters.

Although both countries signed an MOU to reopen the strait, conflicts over control of the waterway escalated into armed clashes, canceling plans for its reopening.

The MOU includes a provision stating that Iran will cooperate with Gulf coastal nations, including Oman, to discuss and establish future management plans for the strait.

While Friday's agreement represents some progress for mediation efforts, it does not mean that free movement has been restored in or around the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran emphasizes that the United States must first accept its demands, such as lifting the maritime blockade on Iranian ports and permitting crude oil sales.

In response, the United States has instead adopted an "economic bullying campaign," threatening to subdue Iran by tightening economic sanctions.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury unveiled new sanctions against Iran the previous day, aiming to impose secondary sanctions on other countries that trade with Iran in five key sectors: digital assets, technology, gold, aviation, and shipping.

Consequently, skepticism remains strong that expecting the U.S. and Iran to return to the previous ceasefire MOU framework based on a joint statement issued just a day after major sanctions were announced may be overly optimistic.

Nevertheless, mediation efforts by neighboring countries to restart negotiations between the U.S. and Iran are continuing.

A day before Omani Foreign Minister Albusaidi visited Iran, Pakistani Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir also traveled to the country.

Oman and Pakistan have played key mediating roles in negotiations between the United States and Iran.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.