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Iran and Oman have begun formal talks on the future administration of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, including maritime services and associated costs, adding new urgency to questions raised by last week's U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding.
The discussions were announced Tuesday in a joint statement following meetings in Muscat between Omani officials and an Iranian delegation led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of Iran's parliament.
The two countries said they would establish a joint working group between their foreign ministries "to reach agreement on the future administration of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the services that will be provided in this regard and the costs associated with them in accordance with international standards."
The language reflects items contained in Article 5 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed last week by the United States and Iran, which placed Iran at the center of future discussions over maritime services and administration in the Strait.
Under that provision, Iran committed to using its best efforts to ensure safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. The MOU also said Iran would conduct dialogue with Oman "to define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz" before later holding discussions with Gulf littoral states.
The Oman-Iran statement appears to be the first formal step in that process.
The two countries, which sit on opposite shores of the Strait, said all future arrangements must respect "the sovereignty and sovereign rights of the two Coastal States of the Strait of Hormuz." They also reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining the Strait as "a secure and open waterway for international navigation."
For the shipping industry, however, the reference to services and costs is likely to draw close scrutiny.
The MOU states that no tolls will be charged for the first 60 days, but leaves unclear what happens afterward. That ambiguity has become one of the central concerns for shipowners, insurers and charterers trying to assess the post-war operating environment.
INTERTANKO Marine Director Phillip Belcher warned last week that the future of transit charges remains unresolved.
"Article 5 of the MoU states that no tolls will be charged for the first 60 days; however, the future is unclear and will be determined by Iran following dialogue with Oman and discussions with the Gulf States," Belcher said.
He added that any outcome "must be a reinforcement of the central tenet that the Strait of Hormuz must remain free of charges and open to all in accordance with UNCLOS."
The joint Oman-Iran working group will discuss not only navigation, but also the services to be provided and the costs tied to them. The statement does not define those services, leaving open questions over whether they could include vessel traffic management, pilotage, security coordination, emergency response, mine clearance support or other administrative functions.
Those questions matter because the Strait of Hormuz is widely regarded as an international strait subject to the right of transit passage under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. Shipping groups have repeatedly warned that any system of tolls, mandatory fees or special permission requirements could undermine that principle.
The World Shipping Council has said vessels must be able to pass through the Strait "safely, securely and without toll." The IMO has also previously warned that there is no legal basis for payments or special transit conditions in the Strait.
The talks come as the Strait is already operating under a new and uneasy dual-route system.
The U.S.-led Joint Maritime Information Center says commercial vessels are now using both a northern Iranian-controlled route and a southern route through Omani waters. The northern route is administered by Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority, or PGSA, while the southern route is supported by the U.S. Navy and associated maritime security structures.
JMIC's latest Strait of Hormuz procedure allows ships using the southern route to transit day or night with AIS on, radars operating, navigation lights illuminated and normal VHF communications in use. Coordination with the U.S. Navy's Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping organization is encouraged, but not mandatory.
CENTCOM has described the U.S.-backed route as offering passage free of "arbitrary requirement claims or impediments," language that appears aimed at Iran's permission-based approach in the northern corridor.
INTERTANKO said Iran has already begun actively managing traffic on the northern route, including calling several ships overnight on June 18-19 to tell them they did not have permission to transit.
The Oman-Iran statement therefore points to a broader issue now facing shipping: the Strait is open, but the rules governing its future may still be under negotiation.
Those negotiations are unfolding while other risks remain unresolved. Mines are still reported in and around the Traffic Separation Scheme, and the MOU places primary responsibility for de-mining on Iran. Industry groups say mine clearance has not officially begun.
Traffic is recovering, but remains well below pre-war levels. U.S. Central Command said 55 merchant ships transited the Strait on June 20 carrying cargo and more than 17 million barrels of oil, while JMIC has reported lower daily transit counts compared with a historical average of roughly 138 vessels per day.
For now, Oman and Iran are presenting their talks as a framework for safety, stability and freedom of navigation. But for shipowners, the key questions remain practical: who will manage navigation, what services will be mandatory, who will pay for them, and whether the Strait will remain open to international shipping without tolls or permission requirements.
Fuente: GCAPTAIN_NEWS
