Reuters: Oman has proposed a joint regional mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz funded by voluntary fees

According to a Reuters report published on Tuesday 28 July 2026, Oman has put a proposal to Iran under which a joint regional mechanism would be created to manage the Strait of Hormuz, funded by voluntary payments from shipping. Under the Omani framework as reported, Tehran would not hold sole control of the waterway.

The model cited is the Strait of Malacca, where users of the route contribute voluntarily towards the cost of navigational aids, environmental protection and search and rescue operations. Oman's foreign minister, Badr Albusaidi, has previously stressed that his country is not proposing transit tolls, drawing a distinction between charging ships for passage and voluntary payments for services such as maritime safety, emergency response and pollution control.

The report appeared the same day that Iran's foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, held telephone calls with his Omani and Saudi counterparts about the strait. The Strait of Hormuz carries a large share of the region's crude exports, and any change in its status feeds directly into tanker insurance costs and the risk premium in oil prices.