Iran-Oman Hormuz deal won’t immediately reopen strait, source tells Iranian media

An understanding between Iran and Oman does not provide for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz but establishes the basis on which it could reopen, an Iranian source told the semi-official Tasnim news agency on Saturday. The source said the arrangement would be a step toward Iran exercising sovereignty over the strait and that its reopening depended entirely on the United States meeting Tehran’s conditions. The comments came ahead of a meeting between Iran and Gulf states planned for Monday, which a senior Iranian official said would be a chance to discuss issues including the Strait of Hormuz, but is not expected to yield a signed agreement over the blockaded waterway. The Iranian official, who discussed the plans on condition of anonymity, said Monday’s meeting was called at Oman’s initiative, and would provide a forum to discuss other regional issues as well as Hormuz. According to the Iranian official, Iran still wants an agreement that would allow it to collect fees from ships that use the strait, which Oman rejects. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms Iran has been negotiating for months with Oman, which controls the opposite bank of the strait, over a deal that would govern transport through it. Oman has long said its negotiations are supported by other Arab countries in the Gulf. In this photo released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, right, meets his Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr Albusaidi in Tehran, Iran, August 25, 2026. (Iran’s Foreign Ministry, via AP) Tehran announced on Friday that it was planning to attend a meeting with Gulf countries in Oman on Monday. Oman has not officially announced the meeting and other regional states have so far remained silent. Bahrain said on Saturday it would not attend meetings with Iran, pointing to attacks on infrastructure across the Gulf while adding that security and stability in the region “cannot be preserved through a policy of appeasement.” It also called for Hormuz to be open without “discrimination, fees or permits.” The Bahraini foreign ministry said it maintained its commitment to dialogue, but it “will not be a party to any collective meeting that includes Iran before the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries.” Advertisement Bahrain cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 2016 alongside Saudi Arabia during an earlier crisis between the regional rivals. While Riyadh restored ties in 2023, Manama is yet to do so. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Maritime ​Trade Operations reported early Sunday that a vessel was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. It said the crew’s status, damage assessment and environmental impact were unknown. Around a fifth of global oil supplies transited the strait before the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February, launching the war. Global oil prices have surged over the past week after the United States and Iran both fired on tankers in the strait, and Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen advanced near another crucial Middle East conduit for oil, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula. Help us report truthfully on social media As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos. This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world. 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Sign in to stop seeing this Most Popular 1 Saudi Arabia shutters major oil pipeline struck by drones from Iraq 2 Man with Palestinian flag runs on field at 9:11 in 9/11 NY ball game, is pelted with beer cans 3 Trump: Iran likely behind attack on Saudi pipeline, Houthis told us they don’t want to fight 4 Trump said to reject Saudi request for strikes on Houthis, as they complete Bab el-Mandeb takeover 5 Houthis seize key Red Sea islands, complete takeover of vital Bab el-Mandeb shipping lane 6 Chabad cancels Rosh Hashanah event in Phuket due to Israeli security officials’ concerns 7 IDF rejects testimonies in Israeli-made documentary about AI-powered killing in Gaza 8 Boy George performs ‘We Will Dance Again’ in public for first time at Vancouver shul read more: Israel & the Region 2026 US-Israel war with Iran Strait of Hormuz Iran-Oman relations Bahrain-Iran relations If you’d like to comment, join The Times of Israel Community. JOIN THE TOI COMMUNITY Already a member? 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