The latest
Iran and Oman are publicly contradicting each other over the future of the Strait of Hormuz. After the first session of a newly formed Iran-Oman joint committee in Muscat, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the two sides had reached an understanding on a fee system for transiting vessels. Oman denied it the same day.
Details
• Gharibabadi said the Muscat meeting produced a shared understanding on collecting fees from ships passing through the strait, and that joint technical and specialist committees would be established under Article 5 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed June 18.
• Oman’s Foreign Minister al-Busaidi said the opposite: any future arrangements will not include transit fees, though discussions on optional navigational services remain open.
• Iran draws a distinction between “transit tolls” — which it denies — and “navigational service fees” covering pilotage assistance, insurance, and environmental protection. Washington rejects the distinction, saying the charges function as tolls regardless of their label.
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran will not be permitted to impose any fees or tariffs on vessels transiting the strait under any final agreement.
• Tehran announced a 60-day exemption during the ongoing negotiating period, but has signaled the fee system will resume once the window closes if no deal is reached.
What to watch
The 60-day window is the real deadline. If talks with Washington fail to produce a final agreement, Iran has threatened to move forward with fees unilaterally — a move that risks direct confrontation with the United States and Gulf states over one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes.
