Oman hands Iran Gulf-backed proposal for joint control over Hormuz, with voluntary fees

Offer is based on Asia’s Strait of Malacca, where those who use it voluntarily contribute to management; Iran would not solely run the key waterway

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Oman has presented a proposal to Iran for a joint regional mechanism to manage the Strait of Hormuz with voluntary fees, a Gulf source told Reuters on Tuesday.

Oman has won backing from Gulf states for the plan, the source told Reuters.

Under the Omani proposal, which has regional backing, Iran would not exercise sole control of the vital waterway, the source added.

The proposal is based on the Strait of Malacca, between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra, where those who use the strait voluntarily contribute to fund navigation, environmental protection and search and rescue.

The US abruptly suspended a ‌campaign of airstrikes against Iran over the weekend, raising hopes of a diplomatic solution that would allow shipping to resume in the Strait of Hormuz — which carried a fifth of global energy supplies before the conflict began.

The US military on Saturday said its recently reimposed naval blockade against Iran continued, with a dozen commercial ships redirected, two disabled and two boarded. US forces “remain highly vigilant, focused, lethal, and ready,” it added.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday the United States was having “good ‌talks” with Iran, and there was a chance of a deal, but he warned that US strikes would resume if the negotiations failed to deliver.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi discussed the Strait of Hormuz with his Omani and Saudi counterparts on Monday.

“He emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation and advance joint diplomatic efforts to establish stability in the region, and lift the insecurity imposed on the Strait of Hormuz due to the aggressive actions of the United States,” according to Iran’s Foreign Ministry statement.

Tehran has asserted that its interim deal with the US allows it to manage shipping on the waterway for now, and it has objected to US efforts to support a route through the strait that passes close to Oman instead. The strait was considered an international waterway before the war.

The US and Israel jointly launched a bombing campaign on Iran on February 28 in a bid to destabilize its regime and destroy its ballistic missile and nuclear program.

Iran responded with missile and drone strikes across the region and a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

The fighting entered a truce on April 8, and the US and Iran last month reached a memorandum of understanding for peace talks, but this fell apart as Iran continued attacks on Hormuz shipping, leading to US strikes and a resumption of fighting.

AP and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.