Iranian officials have announced that Tehran and Muscat will split the revenue generated by tolls for vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz. The two countries also agreed to limited military transits through the critical waterway.
“Agreements have been reached regarding each country’s share of the strait’s waters as well as Iran and Oman’s share of its revenues,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Wednesday. “We have reached results that are acceptable to both sides.”
However, the deal will not result in the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC said that the US must comply with Iran’s conditions first. Tehran is calling on Washington to return to the Memorandum of Understanding before reopening the crucial waterway.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi explained that the deal created shipping lanes for traffic in and out of the Persian Gulf. Ships using the Strait to enter the Gulf will travel entirely through Iranian territory. Outbound traffic will use a lane that crosses both Iranian and Omani territory.
The current lanes are temporary, and the two sides will use the next 60 days to discuss permanent shipping routes. Gharibabadi added that military vessels will be barred from transiting the Strait.
Before the US and Israeli war against Iran, the Strait of Hormuz was treated as an international waterway. During the conflict, Tehran seized control of the Strait and asserted that international law allows the waterway to be split between Oman and Iran.
Tehran then began negotiations with Muscat on establishing new protocols for vessels transiting the Strait, including charging “service fees.” The White House has demanded that Iran return the Strait to its pre-war status, with President Donald Trump even threatening to bomb Oman if it goes along with Iran’s plan to change tolls.
