Iran rejects Oman's plan for joint management of the Strait of Hormuz; Gharibabadi says it does not address Tehran's security concerns

Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's deputy foreign minister, told The Wall Street Journal that Oman had proposed splitting the shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz equally between the two countries, but that the plan "does not address Iran's security concerns." He said Tehran had put forward a counter-proposal under which one shipping lane would lie entirely within Iranian waters and part of the opposite lane would also fall inside Iranian waters. Gharibabadi stressed that if this proposal were accepted, Tehran would move to the next stage of negotiations.

Reuters reported on Tuesday, 6 Mordad 1405, that Oman had offered Iran a joint regional mechanism for managing the Strait of Hormuz funded by voluntary fees. The same agency reported on Wednesday, 7 Mordad, citing an Iranian official who was not named, that Tehran had rejected the plan and regarded a 50-50 split of control over the strait between Iran and Oman as inconsistent with its interests, while still describing Oman as a valued neighbour. According to that official, the southern transit routes through the strait could be dangerous for ships, and Muscat's degree of control over the strait should be proportionate to its share of the waterway.