IRIA News

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Iran and Oman have agreed on a framework for a temporary shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz. However, Tehran says the strategic waterway will not fully reopen unless the United States accepts Iranian conditions under a stalled interim peace agreement.

The development comes as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict between Iran and the United States remain uncertain and shipping through one of the world’s most important energy corridors stays severely restricted.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the two countries had reached an understanding on how the waters and revenues associated with the Strait of Hormuz would be divided.

Iran also said it had agreed with Oman on a temporary navigation corridor, but stressed that the arrangement would not take effect without further progress with Washington.

The agreement could provide a potential path toward restoring commercial traffic through the strait, which before the conflict carried roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.

Temporary Corridor Agreed

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran and Oman had agreed on the basic structure of a temporary shipping route. Under the proposed arrangement, vessels would enter the corridor through Iranian territorial waters, while part of the exit route would also pass through waters controlled by Iran.

The corridor would be about seven miles, or 11.3 kilometers, wide. Gharibabadi described it as a temporary arrangement while longer-term negotiations continue over how the strait should be managed.

Iran’s commitment to peace and stability is matched by steadfast diplomacy with our neighbors. In talks with Pakistani and Omani guests, regional solutions were stressed.

Proposed framework for new corridor, joint mine-clearing, and future management of Hormuz is case in point. pic.twitter.com/5VYzRp1DzY

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) August 25, 2026

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi discussed the proposed corridor during talks in Tehran. Their governments said technical negotiations would continue on a permanent navigation arrangement, information sharing, traffic management and the provision of navigation and security services.

The two countries are also discussing a joint project to clear mines from the waterway. Albusaidi said he hoped the temporary corridor could be announced soon, while a permanent solution and future management system would be addressed later.

The agreement is significant because Iran and Oman occupy strategically important positions on either side of the Strait of Hormuz. Any arrangement between the two could help establish a mechanism for bringing commercial shipping back into the waterway after months of disruption. But Tehran has made clear that an agreement with Oman alone will not be enough to reopen the strait fully.

Iran Says US Remains the Obstacle

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has accused Washington of obstructing the negotiations and said the strait will remain closed unless the United States accepts Iran’s conditions.

IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi said Iran and Oman had reached an agreement on their respective shares of the waters and revenues associated with the strait.

“The Strait of Hormuz belongs to ⁠Iran and the country of Oman… We have been in negotiations with Oman for about a month, and we have ⁠reached results that are acceptable to both sides,” Mohebbi said.

He added that the negotiations had produced agreements on “the share of each country in the waters of the Strait and the share of Iran and Oman in its revenues.” Mohebbi said the United States was responsible for delaying implementation of the arrangement.

“If the United States stops obstructing and returns to ⁠the agreement, we can open the Strait of Hormuz within the framework of the agreement reached… If the United States does not accept our ⁠conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened under any circumstances,” he said.

Iranian officials have linked the reopening of the waterway to commitments made under an interim peace agreement reached in June. Tehran says those commitments include sanctions relief and the release of frozen Iranian assets.

Washington, meanwhile, has increased economic pressure on Iran and warned countries and companies that continue to trade with Tehran that they could face penalties.

The dispute means that the temporary corridor with Oman could become only one part of a much broader negotiation involving Iran, the United States and regional governments.

Shipping Remains Heavily Restricted

Despite the diplomatic movement, commercial traffic through Hormuz remains far below normal levels. Preliminary shipping data showed that only five commodity vessels passed through the strait on Tuesday, compared with a 10-day average of about 15. Most shipping has remained suspended since the conflict disrupted the waterway.

The situation has also been complicated by continuing attacks and threats against vessels. Iran recently placed 45 ships on a blacklist in an apparent attempt to prevent ship-to-ship transfers being used by some Gulf energy producers to bypass its blockade. Some companies have subsequently indicated that they may avoid vessels included on the list.

A tanker was also disabled by an unidentified projectile near Oman’s Ash Shishah, close to the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz, according to Britain’s maritime trade authorities.

The continued risks have discouraged shipping companies from returning to normal operations even as diplomatic discussions have resumed.

The strait is particularly important because alternative routes cannot easily replace its capacity. Oil and gas producers in the Gulf rely heavily on the waterway to reach international markets, while major economies in Asia depend on those energy supplies. Any prolonged disruption therefore has implications far beyond Iran and Oman.

Mine Clearance Remains a Major Issue

The question of mines has emerged as another obstacle to restoring normal navigation. Iran previously announced a shipping route through its territorial waters after closing the internationally recognized traffic separation system used in the strait. Tehran later said the route had been mined.

A separate corridor was announced in June following an interim agreement between Iran and the United States. Oman and the International Maritime Organization supported a route closer to the Omani coast.

Iran rejected that arrangement, arguing that it violated the terms of the agreement, and attacks on vessels using the route contributed to the collapse of the interim arrangement.

Iran has now agreed with Oman to discuss a joint mine-clearance project. Gharibabadi, however, rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that mines had already been cleared from international waters in the strait. He said the claim was intended to reassure markets and warned that U.S. mine-detection vessels entering the area could face danger.

The disagreement highlights the difficulty of separating maritime security from the wider political dispute between Tehran and Washington.

US Pressure Adds Another Layer

The negotiations are taking place as Washington steps up its economic campaign against Iran. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned that the United States intends to target individuals, companies, vessels and countries that help Iran maintain its trade networks. Washington has also threatened broader secondary sanctions against countries that continue doing business with Tehran.

So far, however, the United States has held back from immediately imposing major secondary sanctions on some foreign entities, including Chinese financial institutions suspected of facilitating Iranian oil exports.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent said Washington wanted to give countries time to adjust but warned that the pressure campaign could move quickly.

China has strongly opposed the threat of expanded sanctions. Beijing, a major buyer of Iranian oil, has warned that it will take measures to protect its rights and interests if Washington expands its economic pressure.

Iran has also rejected the U.S. campaign, describing the effort to isolate its economy as “gross lawlessness” and arguing that Washington will struggle to force neighboring countries to comply.

The sanctions dispute could therefore become closely connected to the future of Hormuz, particularly if the United States seeks to pressure countries that participate in any Iran-backed mechanism for managing shipping through the strait.

Oil Markets Respond Positively

Despite the continued uncertainty, oil prices have fallen in recent days as markets have reacted to signs that diplomatic efforts could reduce the risk of a prolonged closure.

Brent crude fell below $90 a barrel, extending a recent decline. The decline came even though traffic through the strait remains sharply below normal levels.

The market reaction suggests that traders are placing greater weight on the possibility of a negotiated reopening rather than the current level of shipping disruption.

That optimism remains fragile, however. The temporary corridor has not yet restored normal traffic, the United States and Iran have not resolved their main disputes, and security threats remain around the waterway. The proposed Iran-Oman arrangement could therefore represent an important first step rather than a final settlement.

The immediate challenge will be turning the agreement into a functioning corridor that shipping companies consider safe enough to use. Beyond that lies the more difficult question of who will control and administer the Strait of Hormuz, how maritime revenues will be divided, and what security arrangements will govern the waterway.