Iran to allow no military ship in Hormuz under potential deal with Oman

Iran and Oman have reached a potential agreement for managing ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz that would exclude military vessels from traversing the vital waterway.

Tehran won’t allow military vessels to transit through the Strait of Hormuz under the agreement that the Islamic Republic is negotiating with Oman, Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, said on Tuesday.

It comes after top diplomats of the two countries met to discuss managing commercial shipping traffic in the vital waterway, which remained largely shut down nearly six months after the Iran war began.

Gharibabadi told state television late Tuesday that commercial shipping traffic into the Persian Gulf would pass through Iranian waters, while the outbound route would pass partly through Iranian waters and partly through Oman’s waters.

He said the routes would be temporary and that Iran and Oman must discuss a permanent maritime traffic plan within 30 to 60 days.

The latest development comes amid US President Donald Trump's threat to bomb Oman if it “gets in the way", as his administration opposes parts of the evolving deal.

The Trump administration has told Oman it is opposed to parts of the yet-to-be-announced deal, including the joint Iranian and Omani management of the exit route out of the passage that’s critical to global supplies of oil and natural gas.

Washington believes Oman has not been tough enough in its negotiations with Iran and is unhappy with Oman’s agreement to collect voluntary fees from vessels, even if the charges are related to security and maritime environmental protection.