Oman presents Iran with a joint Strait of Hormuz management plan based on voluntary fees; Tehran has yet to respond

Reuters reported on Tuesday, 28 July 2026 (6 Mordad 1405), citing regional sources, that Oman has presented Iran with a plan under which a joint regional mechanism would manage the Strait of Hormuz, with ships paying voluntary contributions rather than mandatory transit tolls. According to the report the proposal is backed by countries in the region and, if implemented, would replace Iran's sole control of the waterway with joint management.

The proposal is said to be modelled on the Strait of Malacca, where users of the waterway contribute voluntarily to the costs of navigational aids, environmental protection and search and rescue operations. A senior Iranian source told Reuters that Tehran had not responded to the Omani proposals as of the time of the report.

These details add a further layer to the earlier news of the telephone conversations between Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, and his Omani and Saudi counterparts. Shipping conditions in the Strait of Hormuz have been the single most important variable bearing on the risk premium in global oil prices and on Iran's currency market in recent weeks; Brent crude fell on the same Tuesday to around $84 a barrel.