DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: The Oman Hormuz proposal offers joint management and voluntary shipping fees under a Gulf-backed plan presented to Iran, two sources told Reuters on July 28.
A senior Iranian source said Tehran had not responded to the initiative. Oman had not publicly confirmed the voluntary-fee terms at the time of publication, according to the Reuters report.
Under the proposal, Iran would not control the Strait of Hormuz alone. Ships could make optional payments to support navigation, environmental protection and search-and-rescue services.
The system with the cooperative mechanism used by Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Council said on July 13 that Hormuz transit should remain unhindered and free of tolls.
Read: Iran-US Negotiations Denied as Hormuz Talks Continue
However, it separately invited voluntary contributions to two funds supporting the Malacca cooperative mechanism.
Muscat and Tehran established a joint working group in June to discuss navigation management, maritime services and their associated costs.
Their joint statement committed both countries to maintaining Hormuz as a secure and open international waterway.
Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers discussed the negotiations during a video meeting on July 28. They called for stronger coordination on safe passage and uninterrupted trade through Hormuz, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said.
Washington wants to restore unpaid passage and opposes mandatory charges. US President Donald Trump halted a 13-night bombing campaign but warned that strikes could resume if diplomacy failed.
Iran’s joint military command also rejected Trump’s proposal to compensate damaged vessels with frozen Iranian assets, according to state media.
