Iran-Oman proposal would give Tehran control over Gulf-bound ships, sources say

Tehran, Iran. A proposed agreement between Iran and Oman would give Tehran control over ships entering the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian source and two regional officials told Reuters on Wednesday. The sources said key details remained unresolved despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s statements that a deal to reopen the strait was imminent.

Control provisions under discussion

One regional source said a concession had already been made on giving Iran some form of control over Hormuz.

A second regional source said negotiators were still determining how such control would be defined. Gulf countries were seeking to supervise ship inspections and to ensure that any fees paid would be voluntary, the source said.

The senior Iranian source said a draft agreement envisaged Iran controlling ships travelling into the Gulf through the strait. A main unresolved issue was the role Iran would have over vessels travelling in the opposite direction, the source added.

U.S. position

Washington did not immediately respond to the disclosures about the proposed agreement.

U.S. officials have repeatedly said they would not accept an arrangement allowing Iran to control access to the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy trade route. Trump and senior administration officials have said in recent days that an agreement was close to ending the war launched in February.

Oil market reaction

Oil prices rose slightly on Wednesday after Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement said it had fired on a Saudi-flagged tanker in the Red Sea.

The attack was the latest targeting Middle East shipping and disrupting global energy supplies. Global crude prices nevertheless remained near their lowest levels since early July after falling sharply over the previous two days, following Trump’s decision to call off fresh attacks on Iran while talks continued.