What’s the status of the talks between Iran and Oman over the Strait of Hormuz? The negotiations were reportedly nearing a deal two weeks ago, but no such agreement has been announced — and last week, President Donald Trump was threatening to bomb Oman, a U.S. ally, if it didn’t cooperate.
Now, Iran has reportedly made a new demand.
Littoral Combat Ship. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
According to the Associated Press, which cited comments from Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Iran is insisting on barring military vessels from traversing the Strait of Hormuz.
The two sides, the report said, have “reached an understanding on a new framework” for how traffic will work in the Strait.
“If the understanding becomes binding, no military vessel will be permitted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz,” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Iranian state TV this week. “No military vessel at all.”
The AP story also said that the deal will otherwise follow the contours of what’s been reported for weeks, except with a small difference, at least according to Gharibabadi: Incoming shipping traffic “would pass entirely through Iranian waters, while the outbound route would pass partly through Iranian waters and partly through Oman’s territorial waters.”
The U.S., however, has not approved this arrangement. In fact, the Trump Administration has told Oman that it is unhappy with the deal framework, which led to the president’s threat last week to bomb the U.S. Gulf ally.
Gharibabadi continued to insist that the Strait remains closed.
A Revenue Agreement
Meanwhile, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has announced that it has reached an agreement with Oman on how to share revenue from the Strait.
“Agreements have been reached regarding each country’s share of the strait’s waters as well as Iran and Oman’s share of its revenues,” the IRGC said Wednesday, citing the state-run Sepah News agency.
“The Strait of Hormuz belongs to Iran and the country of Oman… We have been in negotiations with Oman for about a month, and we have reached results that are acceptable to both sides,” IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi said, per a Reuters report on the comments published by the state agency.
Mohebbi also ripped the United States for delaying any further agreement.
“If the United States stops obstructing and returns to the agreement, we can open the Strait of Hormuz within the framework of the agreement reached… If the United States does not accept our conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened under any circumstances,” the spokesman said.
This came two days after Iran announced that it had “blacklisted” 45 tankers that it said had broken its rules for crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
Axios reported last week on a clandestine U.S. effort to transport oil through the Strait of Hormuz, which moved “millions of barrels of oil” per day.
“We have been controlling the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz for two months now. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps can be a nuisance, but they don’t control the strait. We do,” one U.S. official told Axios. The president had been similarly bragging for weeks before that, without much in the way of specifics.
Mines “Fully Removed”
Meanwhile, President Trump on Tuesday announced that the U.S. Navy has successfully cleared all mines from the Strait of Hormuz. Axios described it as “a low-key operation” that had been running for months.
“I have just been informed by the United States Navy that all mines have been removed and/or detonated from within the International Waters of the Strait of Hormuz,” the president said in a Tuesday Truth Social post. He went on to threaten to destroy any ship that would attempt to place new mines in the area, and warn Iran that they are being watched by Space Force.
“Through Space Force, we are watching every square inch of the Strait, as we are also, with Pickaxe Mountain and the already destroyed three other Nuclear sites,” the president added. “There is a Zero Tolerance policy on mine placement in full force and effect.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
