Oman recently delivered a proposal to the US and other allies on the future of the Strait of Hormuz, according to a regional diplomat and a US source familiar with the matter.
The regional diplomat said the proposal, which has not been finalized, outlines a plan for shipping companies to pay service fees to use the strait, but they would not be called tolls. The diplomat did not elaborate on the difference between a service fee and a toll.
Significant disagreements remain over the proposal, the diplomat added, noting it is expected to be one of the topics discussed in Doha this week.
Another regional source with knowledge of the negotiations said Oman is not pushing for a fee-based system in the strait. The US source said American negotiators have concerns about the proposal that they intend to discuss with the Omanis, though the source added that Oman has maintained its commitment to no tolling and that the proposal does not include mandatory tolls.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told CNN, “President Trump has been clear that Iran cannot toll the strait, which is an international waterway.”
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner were in Doha today with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and other mediators, according to a White House official.
Delegations from the US and Iran are expected to participate separately tomorrow in technical talks with mediators from Qatar and Pakistan, the official added.
The ceasefire agreement unveiled earlier this month stipulates that Iran will make “arrangements using its best efforts” to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies travel.
A vaguely worded article in the agreement said Iran and Oman would work together to “define the future administration” of the waterway, effectively giving Tehran a formal role in managing it.
