Iran and Oman have reached an agreement on managing maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Under the agreement, the two countries would exclude military vessels from using the vital waterway.
Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, announced on state television that commercial vessels heading into the Persian Gulf would henceforth travel through Iranian waters, while the outbound route would pass partly through Iranian and partly through Omani territorial waters, with the resulting revenues shared between the two countries. He also said that the routes are temporary for the time being, and that Iran and Oman must reach an agreement on a permanent maritime traffic plan within 30 to 60 days.
Washington has told Oman that it opposes certain elements of the as-yet-unannounced agreement, including the joint Iranian-Omani management of the outbound route along a corridor that is vital to global oil and natural gas supplies.
The United States believes that Oman was not sufficiently tough in its negotiations with Iran and is unhappy that Oman agreed to the collection of voluntary fees from vessels, even if those fees are intended to serve maritime security and environmental protection purposes.
