Iran and Oman in talks to jointly manage Strait of Hormuz navigation

About a fifth of every barrel of oil and every shipment of liquefied natural gas moving by sea passes through a narrow corridor between Iran and Oman. The Strait of Hormuz is roughly 21 miles wide at its tightest point, and for decades the question of who controls navigation there has been answered mostly by tension, proximity, and occasional confrontation. Iran and Oman have moved steadily toward a formal joint framework for managing maritime traffic through the strait, with both countries reaching broad agreement on the geographic coordinates of proposed shipping routes by early August 2026. A meeting on August 25 between Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi produced a joint statement laying out plans for a temporary maritime corridor and coordinated mine-clearing operations. How the talks got here The process started formally on June 23, 2026, when the two countries announced the creation of a joint working group specifically focused on navigational administration and service costs in the strait, following high-level meetings in Muscat. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Araqchi were both present f...