Iran and Oman are close to finalizing an agreement on an acceptable route for ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said, according to state media reports on Wednesday.
The two countries, which sit on opposite sides of the strategic waterway, have been in talks to find a formula to reopen the strait. Iran effectively closed the strait, used to transport a significant quantity of the world’s oil and gas supplies, in retaliation for attacks by the United States and Israel this year.
Iranian officials have insisted they will not give up on some measure of control over the strait, which before the war was an open international waterway.
“The geographic coordinates of the route envisioned by both sides have been agreed upon,” the spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, Esmail Baghaei, was quoted as saying by Iran’s state news agency. “If certain third parties do not obstruct the process, a joint statement by the two countries, containing the principal considerations and points of agreement, is currently in the final stages of review and drafting.”
Officials familiar with the emerging accord had earlier told The New York Times that under its terms, vessels heading into the Persian Gulf would transit a channel controlled by Iran and close to its coast. Ships leaving the gulf would travel on a channel near Oman.
Mr. Baghaei said nothing about charging fees or tolls for ships passing through the strait, according to the reported comments.
A regional diplomat with knowledge of the ongoing talks said the negotiators were working hard and hoping for the best.
The Omani government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Iranian officials have said that while there will be no tolls charged in the strait, the agreement includes a “service fee” to cover the environmental effect of the shipping, security for the cargo ships and tankers, and staffing. Revenues would be divided equally between Iran and Oman, Iranian officials said.
But a U.S. official familiar with the negotiations said on Monday that the Iranian account was “not accurate,” and that any “temporary” routes established through the strait would not involve approvals or permissions by Iran and no tolls.
Ismaeel Naar contributed reporting.
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