Iran and Oman Reach Deal on New Temporary Shipping Route in Hormuz

A senior Iranian official said Tehran and Oman have reached an agreement on a new temporary shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, as regional tensions persist following the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. However, the official emphasized that the strait will not be reopened until Washington fully implements its commitments under the temporary peace agreement signed in June.

Speaking on state television Tuesday, Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, said Iran and Oman have agreed that the entrance to the new route “will pass through our territorial waters, and part of the exit will also pass through our territorial waters.” He also said the shipping corridor would be about 7 miles (11.3 km) wide.

Gharibabadi's remarks came after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi met in Tehran the same day to discuss the temporary navigation corridor and a project to clear mines from the strait, according to a joint statement. Albusaidi expressed hope that the two countries would “soon announce” the corridor and stressed that “future management of the strait and a long-term solution will be implemented in the near future.”

According to the joint statement, technical talks are expected to be held to build a long-term agreement, including information-sharing mechanisms as well as navigation and security services.

The Strait of Hormuz has become a flashpoint after Tehran responded to the U.S.-Israeli war by closing the waterway. Iran later announced a new shipping route through its territorial waters, replacing the traffic separation scheme recognized by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) since 1968. Tehran said that route had been mined.

In June, when Iran and the U.S. signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to end the war, Oman and the IMO announced a new shipping corridor in the Strait of Hormuz, backed by Washington, running along Oman's coast. Iran considered this southern route a violation of the MoU and launched attacks on vessels using it, leading to the collapse of the interim deal.

Diplomatic efforts toward a broader peace agreement have since stalled, and passage through the strait remains perilous. On Tuesday, a tanker was disabled by an unidentified object near Oman's Ash Shishah, close to the strait's entrance, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations.

Gharibabadi insisted Iran will not consider the strait open despite the agreement with Oman. He also rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that all mines had been cleared from the strait's international waters, calling it “just to reassure the markets.” He warned that U.S. minesweepers would become “very good targets” if they entered the area.

The Iranian diplomat stressed that Washington must fulfill its commitments under the MoU, including lifting sanctions and releasing Iran's frozen assets, if it wants to return to the diplomatic channel. He also called on other countries to resist U.S. pressure regarding sanctions against Iran.

Earlier, President Trump announced the “toughest economic campaign ever” against Iran and threatened sanctions on any country trading with Tehran. “We call on countries not to yield to U.S. pressure over the sanctions Washington wants to impose on us,” Gharibabadi said, adding that the U.S. has “miscalculated its ability to enforce sanctions against neighboring countries.”

According to Gharibabadi, the previous U.S. sanctions campaign under Trump failed to achieve its objectives, and he predicted the new measures would meet the same fate. “The new U.S. sanctions will certainly fail, and we have our own methods to deal with them,” he added.