Iran and Oman are set to share revenue under an interim arrangement aimed at reopening and managing traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran’s security forces said Wednesday.
The announcement came a day after the two countries said they had agreed on a temporary framework to restore access to the strategic waterway, with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps saying the plan would generate income for both Tehran and its neighbor across the strait.
“Agreements have been reached regarding each country’s share of the strait’s waters as well as Iran and Oman’s share of its revenues,” IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi was quoted as saying by the state-run Sepah News agency.
Mohebbi also accused Washington of slowing the process, claiming, “The US is obstructing this process, causing progress to be delayed.”
The Trump administration has repeatedly cautioned both Iran and Oman against imposing transit fees on vessels using the Strait of Hormuz, a route that was free and open before the war.
Neither Tehran nor Muscat referred to fees in Tuesday’s announcement. However, both governments have previously voiced support for collecting payments from ships passing through the Strait to help fund security and management of the waterway.
According to the interim deal, vessels entering the Persian Gulf from the Gulf of Oman would travel through Iranian territory.
Ships leaving the Persian Gulf, by contrast, would move through a route that includes both Iranian and Omani waters.
Along with managing the Strait, Iran and Oman said they would also work together to remove the underwater mines in the waterway, appearing to undercut President Trump’s claim Tuesday that the explosives were gone.
Iran has also warned that its deal with Oman would not immediately allow traffic to return to normal in the Strait of Hormuz, insisting that the waterway would only truly be open once the US submits to its peace conditions.
Trump has repeatedly insisted that the Strait of Hormuz is open, telling conservative radio host Glenn Beck on Wednesday that the waterway was “functioning” despite ongoing attacks on tankers from Iran.
“The strait, it’s functioning, it’s a functioning strait,” Trump said. “Yes, every once in a while there will be a drone or a rocket or something shot, but it is a very functioning strait. A lot of oil is pouring out.”
With Post wires
