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Oman Signals Progress on Hormuz Shipping Corridor Agreement

Omani foreign minister Badr Albusaidi (left) with his Iranian counterpart, Seyed Abbas Araghchi (right) (Omani Foreign Ministry)
Omani foreign minister Badr Albusaidi (left) with his Iranian counterpart, Seyed Abbas Araghchi (right) (Omani Foreign Ministry)

Published Aug 25, 2026 4:15 PM by The Maritime Executive

The foreign minister of Oman announced Tuesday that talks with Iran on the joint management of a Strait of Hormuz shipping corridor were proceeding well, despite repeated Iranian attacks on neutral merchant vessels in Omani waters - including one as recently as last night. 

In a statement, minister Badr Albusaidi said that he had visited Tehran for a "constructive dialogue" with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi. The two sides are nearing an agreement on one temporary shipping corridor - not the contested two-corridor scheme that currently prevails - and will be announcing a system to restore "safe navigation" shortly, Albusaidi said. 

For the long term, he added, the Omani-Iranian plan remains to negotiate a permanent arrangement for control of the strait, in conjunction with other regional stakeholders.

Oman previously proposed a plan that would include service fees on all passing traffic - an arrangement demanded by Iran, but strongly opposed by the United States and by international shipping interests. Last week, President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Oman - a longtime U.S. ally - in response to the news of that proposal, two Mideastern officials confirmed to AP. 

Iran remains clear on its long-term intentions for control of Hormuz. On Sunday, the Iranian Parliament's foreign policy committee moved ahead with new domestic regulations to charge "service fees" for transits through the international waterway. "Fees will be charged for services we provide, including navigation, environmental, insurance, and safety services; refueling under special circumstances and other services," committee spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi told state news agency Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

Such an arrangement hinges on Iran's ability to control the waterway by force, but the White House says that Iran's influence on traffic volume is limited. U.S. Central Command has set up a transit corridor through Omani waters, which - though not impenetrable - has quietly shielded dozens of tanker transits from attack in recent weeks. Claims over the size of convoys vary, but most independent analysts estimate that an average of about 4-6 million barrels per day of crude have been escaping Iran's cordon - and the latest indications (and administration claims) suggest that the volumes are increasing.

These bold, below-the-radar, well-compensated transits still involve considerable risk to seafarers: in the latest instance, an unnamed tanker was struck in the engine room and disabled overnight Monday. 

On Tuesday, Trump claimed that Iran's sea mines have been cleared from the transit lanes in the center of the strait. However, U.S. Central Command's latest advisory from the Joint Maritime Information Center suggests "a continued risk of drifting or uncharted mines in and near the TSS, with mine danger areas still active."