Oman proposes voluntary Hormuz shipping fee
Make us a preferred source
Make us a preferred source on Google
The news: Oman has proposed jointly managing the Strait of Hormuz with Iran and charging passing ships a voluntary fee, Reuters reports.
Omani diplomats presented the plan, which is backed by other Gulf countries, to Tehran after negotiations over the weekend.
The context: Iran has previously said it wants to work with Oman to manage the strait and collect fees, while the United States wants to restore the pre-war system of free passage. A voluntary payment system could offer a middle ground, allowing both sides to retreat from their current positions.
Oman’s proposal mirrors the Aids to Navigation Fund, which accepts donations from major shipping companies to fund safety infrastructure in the Strait of Malacca.
That fund collected just USD23 million between 2007 and 2023. By comparison, Iran was demanding up to USD2 million from individual ships for a single transit earlier in the war.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Iran and Oman held talks over the weekend on an arrangement to allow ships through the strait while negotiations on a peace deal with the US continued.
