Iran and Oman finalise proposed shipping route in Strait of Hormuz

Iran says it and Oman have finalised an agreement on the geographical coordinates of a proposed shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz. The announcement comes after two months of talks and centres on a waterway that is one of the world's most sensitive maritime chokepoints. Tehran said the arrangement is still being reviewed before a joint statement is issued.

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Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the two sides are preparing a joint statement covering technical, legal, security and environmental points. He said the process could still be affected by what he described as third-party obstruction, referring to the United States. Iranian media also reported that the talks are linked to a broader understanding reached with Washington in June.

The reported plan has immediate significance because the Strait of Hormuz is a major route for global energy shipments. Iranian officials have said the arrangement would not by itself guarantee safe navigation while what they call a US naval blockade and other actions remain in place. Tehran has also indicated that it wants to charge fees for passage, a position that conflicts with the view of the United States and Gulf states that navigation should remain free under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The talks matter because any change in how traffic moves through Hormuz can affect shipping, insurance and energy markets well beyond the region. The strait links the Gulf to the open ocean and has long been a point of tension between Iran and Western powers. Oman's role is notable because it has often served as a diplomatic intermediary in regional disputes, although the current agreement has not yet been presented as a final operational opening of the route.

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Iranian state television said the discussions focus on creating a middle corridor through the strait that would be controlled by Iran and Oman. Another Iranian state outlet said the agreement would not immediately reopen the strait because of what it called US violations, and said the negotiations had nothing to do with the United States. At the same time, US President Donald Trump said in an interview on Tuesday night that the US is part of the Hormuz negotiations and that they are moving along very nicely.

What remains unclear is whether the two countries will publish the joint statement and whether the proposed route will be accepted in practice by other states and shipping interests. It is also not clear how the technical, legal, security and environmental issues will be resolved, or whether the wider dispute involving the United States will ease. For now, the announcement marks progress in talks, but not a confirmed reopening of the strait or a settled framework for navigation.

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