Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesmanBaqaeirevealed on social media on August 5 that Tehran and Oman have reached an agreement on the geographic coordinates of proposed shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, with a joint statement now in its final review stage.
Over the past two months, negotiations have centered on charting safe passage routes for vessels — routes that would respect both nations’ sovereign rights and national security concerns. The final outcome is expected to be published shortly after all details are consolidated.
Although the strait’s main deep-water navigation channels lie almost entirely within Omani territorial waters, Iran has maintained full operational control over the waterway.
Following the renewed US-Iran conflict, three separate routes emerged in the strait. The first, in the northern section, is controlled by Iran. The second cuts through the middle — this was the conventional international corridor before the strait was disrupted. The third runs along the southern side near Omani waters, coordinated by Oman, the United States, and the International Maritime Organization.
Once the new lanes go live, the two original north-south channels that have served the strait for six decades will be completely shut down. Vessels entering the Persian Gulf will transit through the Iranian-controlled lane, while those exiting will use the Omani-controlled lane. These are temporary routes, expected to remain operational for roughly two to four months.
Oman had previously proposed a joint management mechanism with equal shares, but Iran insisted that inbound routes must pass entirely through Iranian waters. Ultimately, the two sides reached a coordinate consensus centered on Iran’s demands, while explicitly rejecting any third-party involvement in strait management.
Baqaei stressed that the Iran-Oman agreement does not mean the Strait of Hormuz is now safe for transiting vessels. The strait’s closure stems from US and Israeli military aggression against Iran and the regional security fallout that followed.
It also remains unclear whether the new transit arrangements will involve fees. US intelligence has previously assessed that Iran hopes to fund post-war reconstruction by charging service fees on ships passing through the strait. Iranian estimates suggest that charging for security and environmental services in the strait could generate as much as $40 billion annually for the relevant countries.
The US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding last month on restoring navigation through the strait, and vessel traffic briefly resumed. However, disagreements over waterway management soon reignited military clashes, and shipping through the strait was restricted once again.
Over the past weekend, multiple parties signaled a potential easing of Middle East tensions. On August 4, former US President Trump claimed that negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz were progressing very smoothly, though he noted that Iran was reluctant to publicly acknowledge its desire to reach a deal — which he called awkward.
According to Trump, the first phase of US-Iran talks involves reopening the strait and should be achieved quickly; the second phase would address Iran’s “denuclearization,” which would take more time.
Earlier that day, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said talks with Iran on reopening the strait had “made progress,” but cautioned that a final agreement was still not locked in — expressing hope that a deal would come together soon.
Rubio described the Hormuz issue as the most urgent and closely watched matter at present, saying Washington is actively engaged in the dialogue between Oman and Iran, working on ways to get more ships safely through the strait in the short term.
The same day, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the two sides were in negotiations and could potentially reach an agreement “today or tomorrow” to reopen the strait and help normalize the regional situation, including restoring free passage for commercial vessels.
Meanwhile, traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains far below pre-war levels, with shipping in a phase of “limited recovery.”According to ship-tracking firm Kpler, only 8 vessels transited the strait on August 4 — 5 tankers and 3 bulk carriers — compared to a daily average of roughly 130 to 140 ships before the conflict.
Industry observers broadly agree that, in the near term, Gulf security conditions and diplomatic progress will remain the key variables determining the pace of global energy transport recovery and the direction of international oil prices. While some cargo vessels are gradually resuming operations, many international shipping companies are still holding back, waiting for the situation to stabilize further.