Iran, US Diplomatic Engagements Advance Amid Hormuz Strait Navigation Dispute

Both Iran and the US are engaged in rapid-fire diplomatic engagements as peace talks to end the war are advancing, while confusion still reigns in the Strait of Hormuz amid conflicting reports on whether free maritime navigation will resume without any restrictions.

Iran and Oman announced on Wednesday that they both intend to establish a joint mechanism to control navigation by a system of permits, claiming their authority over the strait.

Oman announced it was establishing a “temporary” toll-free shipping transit corridor in coordination with the International Maritime Organisation.

But Tehran continued to claim Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz despite repeated US reassurances that navigation would eventually be free as before the war.

US President Donald Trump released a new statement on Wednesday, saying that Iran informed the US that there will be “no tolls, no insurance costs and no other charges of any kind sought or received by Iran for travelling the Strait of Hormuz.”

Trump repeated that if the contrary as publicly declared by Iran were true, “negotiations would end, immediately".

The Washington-based think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on Wednesday that "a reality in which Iran is able to manage traffic through the strait and collect related fees would constitute a significant strategic victory for Iran and give Iran substantial leverage over global commerce."

The ISW also noted that Iran's Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s Telegram channel reiterated the primary objectives that Iran seeks to achieve in the current negotiations.

These objectives include ending US military operations against Iran, making the US lift its naval blockade on Iranian ports, consolidating Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, receiving US compensation for Iranian reconstruction, the lifting of all sanctions, “the resolution of nuclear issues,” and Iranian access to frozen assets.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is on a Middle East diplomatic visit to discuss the peace process with the allies in the region.

On Wednesday Rubio met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and senior leaders of the Gulf country in Abu Dhabi to discuss the US administration’s efforts to secure full and safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz, the US State Department said in a statement.

Rubio thanked the UAE "for their leadership and unparalleled support, praised their courage and resilience in the face of Iran’s attacks, and reaffirmed the US commitment to the security of the Emirates,” the statement said.