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Iran and Oman propose fee plan for Strait of Hormuz, sources say
Monetizing the strait would be a dramatic change from before the war, when cargo ships transited without paying any fee.


In a memorandum of understanding signed last month, the U.S. and Iran agreed ships could safely and freely transit the strait for 60 days and that afterward administering the critical waterway would be left to be defined by Iran and Oman in discussions with other Persian Gulf states.

Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi said in an interview this week that Oman does not support imposing fees on ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz. But he drew a distinction between mandatory fees and voluntary charges to shipping companies to maintain the vital waterway, in a manner similar to models used in the Strait of Malacca and Singapore.

Two sources familiar with the discussion and a regional source said the plan has recently been delivered to the U.S., but a Middle East official said that while the U.S. had been consulted on possible mechanisms for the strait, Oman has not delivered a formal proposal.