Oman has submitted a proposal to Iran for a joint regional mechanism to manage the Strait of Hormuz with voluntary tariffs, mirroring the governance model of the Strait of Malacca, under which Iran would relinquish exclusive control of the waterway.
The Omani foreign minister discussed a "fair agreement" on Hormuz navigation on July 27 with counterparts from Iran, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and Iran's foreign ministry has acknowledged progress in the talks. Tehran insists the negotiations are bilateral: foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei stated on July 27 that the discussions have no connection to the United States, after a US-backed temporary toll-free maritime corridor Oman established in late June was attacked by Iranian forces.
The proposal comes after Iran rejected direct talks with Washington while continuing to enforce its closure of the strait.