Iran and Oman Near Agreement to Reopen Strait of Hormuz With Transit Fees

Tehran and Muscat are advancing negotiations on a bilateral maritime agreement to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The proposed framework implements a mandatory financial structure for transiting vessels, effectively granting Iran formalized operational oversight over the critical international chokepoint.

Under the drafted terms, inbound maritime traffic entering the Persian Gulf will navigate a channel positioned close to the Iranian coastline and under Tehran’s direct control.

Outbound vessels departing the Gulf will be directed through a separate lane closer to Omani territorial waters.

Iranian officials maintain that the financial requirements are not traditional tolls.

Instead, the framework imposes a “service fee” intended to fund commercial cargo security, staffing logistics, and environmental impact management.

Revenues generated from these transit fees will be split evenly between Iran and Oman.

The financial mechanism threatens to permanently alter the operational status of a corridor that operated as an open, international waterway prior to the onset of the conflict.

US Rejects Iranian Oversight

The administration in Washington remains publicly divided on the emerging bilateral pact.

A U.S. official disputed Tehran’s characterization of the negotiations, stating that any temporary shipping corridors established in the region would require neither Iranian clearance nor financial tariffs.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio strongly opposed the proposed fee structure.

He argued that the maritime arrangement violates the fundamental principles of unhindered international commerce and rewards hostile actions.

“If we create a precedent in the Middle East where a nation state can decide that they are going to control an international waterway, charge a toll and if you don’t pay them blow up your ships, we have created a very dangerous precedent, which will repeat itself in other parts of the world,” Rubio stated during a recent summit with Southeast Asian officials.

The Pentagon has also expressed internal skepticism regarding the Oman-Iran negotiations.

Current and former defense officials warned the arrangement resembles strategic capitulation, noting that the southern route near Oman remains heavily mined and would still require navigational coordination with Iranian maritime forces.

Diplomatic Deadlines and Nuclear Linkages

Despite fierce opposition from the State Department, President Donald Trump views the reopening of the strait as an urgent political necessity.

Trump has twice canceled plans drafted by Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, to initiate targeted bombardments against Iranian missile launch sites.

Trump indicated his willingness to accept some form of an Iranian fee structure if it guarantees the resumption of commercial shipping.

“You’ll find out today or tomorrow,” Trump said at the White House regarding the agreement. “They’re going to go quickly one way or the other. It’s not very complex.”

The Hormuz negotiations run parallel to a rapidly deteriorating timeline for broader nuclear diplomacy.

A mid-June framework signed by Vice President JD Vance mandated a 60-day window to reach a comprehensive agreement regarding Iran’s stockpile of 11 tons of enriched uranium.

With that deadline expiring in two weeks, Washington demands that the fuel, including half a ton of near bomb-grade material, be diluted and exported.

However, Iranian officials insisted the strait will remain closed unless the U.S. lifts its naval blockade on Iranian ports and both nations adhere to the 14-point Islamabad memorandum of understanding.

Strategic Calculations

Tehran previously accused Washington of violating the Islamabad peace plan by directing commercial vessels through the southern maritime corridor.

Conversely, the U.S. condemned Iran for firing on merchant ships transiting the Gulf without prior clearance.

Mahdi Mohammadi, a senior adviser to Iran’s lead negotiator, confirmed on state television that discussions with Muscat regarding the strait are proceeding independently from the broader conflict with the United States.

The administration could theoretically alleviate global market pressure by issuing targeted sanction exemptions, allowing Iran to legally export oil.

Yet, regional analysts warn that the current Hormuz agreement grants Tehran unprecedented geopolitical leverage.

Ali Vaez, deputy Middle East program director for the International Crisis Group, noted that securing control over the strait represents Tehran's primary strategic victory from the recent hostilities.

“Trump’s options are between an unwinnable war and an unpalatable peace,” Vaez observed, highlighting the absence of a viable military solution to dismantle Iran’s grip on the waterway.