Iran and Oman have reached a general understanding on toll collection in the Strait of Hormuz following the first meeting of their joint committee. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi confirmed the agreement, stating that Oman, as a sovereign coastal state, supports the arrangement and believes fees should be charged for services provided. A technical committee will be formed, and experts are expected to prepare a draft within seven to eight days and hold a special meeting to discuss navigation routes.
The future of the strait has been a major point of contention between Iran and the United States. Tehran, in coordination with Oman, seeks to impose a new service fee, while Washington opposes any form of toll collection. Oman’s position had been unclear, as the two countries recently announced they were reviewing management costs of the strait.
Oman later clarified that it had no plan to impose a transit fee and instead launched a temporary UN-coordinated maritime corridor near its coast. In response, Iran attacked ships using that route and reiterated that only routes along its own coastline are authorized.