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Report: U.S. Officials Back Plan for Iran & Oman to Split Control of Hormuz

Iran
Iran's preferred control scheme runs through Iranian territorial seas, above. The reported compromise would put the inbound lane in Iranian waters and outbound traffic in Omani waters (IRGC)

Published Aug 4, 2026 6:18 PM by The Maritime Executive

The U.S. government is on board with an Iranian proposal to split control of the Strait of Hormuz with Oman, and plans to portray it as a "temporary" measure needed to restart ship movements, according to The Guardian's Patrick Wintour. 

"[The] U.S. thinks the deal can be sold domestically as an interim fix," said Wintour in a social media statement, adding that other regional actors are in favor of the plan.

As views within the administration sometimes diverge, it is unclear if this approach has universal acceptance among U.S. negotiators and top officials. Iran's terms for a reopening conflict with U.S. priorities: Tehran's hard-line leadership wants a right to exercise long-term control over the strait, to include a right to charge "service fees" for passage. The White House has consistently portrayed this idea as a non-starter, unless the U.S. gets to share in or operate the fee-collection scheme - a proposal which some members of the administration have supported and others have walked back. 

Since Sunday, the administration has signaled - as it has in previous cycles of the conflict - that a deal to reopen the strait is imminent. 

"I think there is a chance for a deal today or tomorrow to open the strait," said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in an interview Tuesday morning. Asked if Iran would be allowed to charge any fee under this scheme, Bessent said that the deal would provide for "freedom of movement," without clarifying the financial aspect. 

The reported about-face on Iranian control of the waterway follows just days after the White House backed away from plans for a vigorous bombing campaign targeting Iran's energy sector. Multiple Iran analysts had argued that additional bombardment would not be effective in changing Iran's negotiating position or dislodging the existing regime; in addition, Iran could be expected to retaliate with missile and drone strikes on U.S. bases and Gulf energy infrastructure, forcing the U.S. to expend increasingly scarce air defense interceptors. 

New reporting by CNN suggests that the war with Iran has consumed the majority of the region's available ground-based THAAD and Patriot interceptors, needed to protect the GCC's globally critical oil and gas production. Reuters added Tuesday that the Army has drawn down heavily on its inventory of ATACMS and PrSM medium-range missiles, leaving more deep strike duty to the Air Force and Navy. The limitations of the U.S. precision-weapons stockpile were reportedly a factor in administration officials' reluctance to re-engage in major combat with Iran - and more inclined to reach a deal on Iranian terms. 

"To end the confrontation the administration will be forced to lift the maritime blockade and [restore] the sanctions waiver that allowed Iranian oil exports. That reality has shaped the negotiations from the beginning," said frequent commentator Danny Citrinowicz, former head of the Iran analysis desk at Israeli Defense Intelligence. "If this is ultimately the agreement that emerges, it may be the least bad option available to the Trump administration under current circumstances, especially given its clear desire to avoid another round of military escalation."