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Temporary corridor talks
Iran and Oman held talks in Tehran to discuss a phased approach to managing ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, including a “joint temporary navigational corridor” and a joint mine-clearing project.
“discussed a phased framework that could provide a practical and implementable basis for moving forward”
Euronews reported that Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi and Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi “discussed a phased framework that could provide a practical and implementable basis for moving forward,” as further negotiations were expected to establish a permanent navigational corridor and future administration.
The talks came as the strait remained “largely shut down nearly six months after the Iran war began,” and 1News said an oil tanker was disabled in an attack off the coast of Oman.
1News also said the proposed framework was designed to manage ship traffic while technical negotiations continued toward a permanent shipping corridor and an agreement on future administration of the strait.
Euronews added that Gharibabadi told state television the temporary route for marine traffic entering the Persian Gulf from the Gulf of Oman would pass entirely through Iranian waters, while the outbound route would pass through both Iranian waters and Omani waters.
Trump threats and diplomacy
Euronews said the Iran-Oman talks followed a week after US President Donald Trump threatened to launch strikes against Oman if it “gets in the way” of talks between Washington and Tehran over the Strait of Hormuz.
In the same Euronews report, Trump said in an interview with Fox News on Monday, “If Oman gets in the way, we'll bomb the s--- out of them,” as June’s US-Iran memorandum of understanding expired.
Euronews also reported that Iran’s president and other senior officials discussed the strait with a Pakistani delegation that left Tehran on Tuesday after holding talks aimed at reviving negotiations to end the war in Iran, Pakistan's military said.
In a separate account, Al Jazeera said the two ministers “discussed a phased framework that could provide a practical and implementable basis for moving forward,” and that the proposed framework included a temporary corridor and a joint project to clear mines.
Al Jazeera further quoted Trump’s Truth Social claim that “all mines have been removed and/or detonated from within the International Waters of the Strait of Hormuz,” while adding that Iran and Oman continued technical negotiations toward a permanent arrangement.
What reopening depends on
While Iran and Oman discussed a temporary navigational corridor and mine-clearing, the BBC reported that Trump said the US Navy had removed or detonated all mines in the Strait of Hormuz and warned that “any ship or boat placing new mines will be immediately and systematically destroyed.”
“any ship or boat placing new mines will be immediately and systematically destroyed”
The BBC also said the closure of the strait caused “wild fluctuations in the price of oil on world markets,” and noted that a ceasefire aimed at facilitating talks to end the war had collapsed with intermittent exchange of fire between the US and Iran.
Euronews reported that further negotiations would establish a “permanent navigational corridor and future administration of the Strait,” alongside a mechanism for information-sharing, traffic management, and navigational and security services.
In a separate report, the العربي الجديد quoted Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharaib Abadi saying the understanding “does not mean the strait will open from tomorrow,” and that Iran and Oman should negotiate a permanent new route within 30 to 60 days.
The العربي الجديد also said Gharaib Abadi described the entry route to the Gulf as “through Iranian waters” and the exit route through Omani territorial waters, while stressing that reopening depends on ending the war on all fronts and lifting the blockade.