Oman and Iran to pursue talks on managing navigation in Strait of Hormuz

Oman and Iran agreed to form a joint working group to discuss the future administration of the Strait of Hormuz, including navigation and maritime services costs.

Oman ​and Iran agreed on Tuesday to ‌press ​on with discussions about the future administration of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, including maritime services in the strategic ‌waterway and the costs associated with them.

In a joint statement issued after talks in Muscat, the two countries said a joint working group involving their foreign ministries would be formed ‌to continue the discussions and that they would consult other littoral states and ‌relevant parties. The move appears to implement a provision of the memorandum of understanding signed last week that calls for Iran to hold talks with Oman and other Gulf coastal states on the future management of ⁠navigation ​and maritime services ⁠in the strait, a vital waterway for global oil supplies.

The agreement was announced following a visit by ⁠Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who met Oman's Sultan Haitham bin ​Tariq and held talks with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi. In the statement, ⁠Oman and Iran, the two states bordering the strait, reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring safe passage through the ⁠waterway ​in accordance with international law while underlining sovereignty over their territorial waters.

Since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran in February, the strait has been largely ⁠closed to commercial shipping. The United States blockaded Iranian ports after Iran started effectively blocking the ⁠strait. Oman and Iran ⁠reaffirmed their commitment to the strait being a secure and open route for international navigation and to promoting maritime safety, freedom of ‌navigation and ‌regional stability.