Iran, Oman Hold First Strait Of Hormuz Talks Since US Truce

Joint committee meets in Muscat as Washington and Tehran prepare to resume technical discussions.

Iran said on Monday it had held its first meeting with Oman on managing the Strait of Hormuz since signing a preliminary agreement to end the West Asia war with the United States.

The announcement came after the US said it had agreed with Iran to halt attacks following an exchange of strikes that strained the deal. The two sides are expected to continue technical talks, although a US official declined to confirm reports that negotiations would resume on Tuesday in Qatar.

A series of exchanges of fire has highlighted the fragility of the Pakistan-brokered agreement, which disrupted oil and gas shipments through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.

Iran and Oman share the waterway, through which around one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passed before the conflict. Tehran had blockaded the strait to gain leverage over its adversaries, making its future a key issue in negotiations with Washington.

"During a trip to Muscat, the first meeting of the Joint Hormuz Committee was held," Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on X. "While reviewing the current issues related to the strait, we exchanged views on the future management."

Hours later, a US official told AFP that technical talks with Iran would continue.

"Both sides will stand down for now and vessels can move freely" in and around the strait, the official said in an email.

Iran did not immediately comment on the US statement.

Shipping Route Dispute Continues

Iran has maintained that ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz should use a corridor close to its coastline, although dozens of vessels this week have instead sailed along the Omani side of the waterway.

On Sunday, Tehran warned that attempts to bypass its preferred route would "increase tensions" in West Asia.

"Any attempt to adopt new or separate arrangements compared to what is underway by the Islamic Republic of Iran will only lead to more complicated situations and delays in the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and will increase the tensions," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said.

The strait comprises Iranian and Omani territorial waters, though customary international law generally prevents either country from blocking passage or imposing tolls.

The published memorandum of understanding states that Iran will define the future administration of the strait through dialogue with Oman and the other Gulf states, while remaining "in line" with international law.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they were taking measures to regulate traffic through the strait and warned that vessels violating those measures would face tougher action.

Mohammad Mokhber, adviser to Iran's supreme leader, wrote on X that as long as Iran managed the strait, Washington's "hegemonic dreams in the region will not be realised".

Fresh Military Exchanges

Tensions escalated early on Sunday when US Central Command said it had struck 10 Iranian military targets over "continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping". Iran said it retaliated with strikes on US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, and both countries condemned the attacks.

Experts warned that further incidents in the Strait of Hormuz were likely.

For Iran, "a drawn-out negotiation accompanied by controlled pressure in the strait can work to its advantage," said HA Hellyer of the Royal United Services Institute, a London think tank.

While the recent exchanges have largely not resulted in reported casualties, Qatar's interior ministry said one of its citizens was killed aboard a boat by shrapnel from "military operations in the area".