Iran is in talks with Oman to construct a mechanism to direct commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Monday, as Tehran looks to formalize control over the vital waterway.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said negotiations with Omani officials are ongoing, adding that the strait is too vital for just one nation to control.
Mr. Baghaei said experts met last week in Muscat, and both sides have exchanged ideas without interruption since then.
Iran has kept the strait effectively closed for three months with undersea mines, drones, missiles and small boats in reaction to U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. While some vessels have made it through with Iranian approval, Tehran has vowed to attack any Western-linked commercial ship that attempts to transit the strait.
At least 20% of the world’s oil travels through the strait each year, and its closure has put extreme pressure on international markets and energy prices. Crude oil futures sat at just over $101 a barrel on Monday, far above the $77 a barrel from earlier this month.
News of a possible joint mechanism governing the strait comes after Tehran made significant moves to formalize unilateral control over the waterway this month. Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority, launched this month, requires vessels intending to pass through the waterway to comply with a set of regulations before they receive the correct permit to safely transit the strait.
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Separately, Iran’s parliament is considering a law that would bar ships linked to Israel and the U.S. from ever transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
International leaders have roundly rejected any country, especially Iran, from establishing sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz. During a meeting with his European counterparts this year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said no U.S.-Iran peace deal would allow for Iranian control over the strait.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday added to the chorus and called on Iran to end its stranglehold over the waterway.
“Iran must enter serious negotiations with the United States, stop threatening its neighbors and open the Strait of Hormuz without restrictions,” Mr. Merz posted on X.
