Iran and Oman propose temporary shipping corridor through Strait of Hormuz

Iran and Oman have outlined a phased framework for a temporary, jointly managed shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, along with a mission to clear mines from the waterway, marking one of the clearest steps yet toward restoring full commercial navigation through the critical passage after months of disruption.

What the proposal includes

Oman's foreign minister, Badr al-Busaidi, traveled to Tehran to meet his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, where the two described their talks as constructive and released a joint statement outlining what they called "a phased framework that could provide a practical and implementable basis for moving forward." The framework includes establishing a temporary joint navigational corridor through the strait and a joint project to clear mines from it, with al-Busaidi saying afterward that he hoped the two countries would "soon announce" the corridor and practical arrangements to restore safe navigation. A permanent solution and long-term governance of the strait, the statement said, would follow later.

Iran has insisted that inbound ships use a northern route through its own territorial waters, while the U.S. military has spent months protecting tankers using a separate southern route that hugs Oman's coastline. U.S. Central Command has said more than 660 million barrels of crude oil have exited the strait under its protection along that southern corridor since May, even as sporadic attacks on shipping in the region continued, including two cargo ships struck last week in an incident that killed two sailors.

Conflicting claims on the mines

The proposed mine-clearing mission was announced the same day President Trump said on social media that the U.S. Navy had already removed or detonated all mines from the strait's international waters, warning that Iran had been notified that any vessel caught laying new mines would be "immediately and systematically destroyed." Axios reported that U.S. officials corroborated the claim, saying the Navy had spent months using underwater drones to scan the strait's median shipping lane, identifying more than 100 suspected mines that private contractors were then hired to remove or destroy. Oman's reference to a still-pending mine-clearing mission appeared to sit uneasily alongside Trump's announcement, and it remains unclear how the two efforts relate.

Iran's weakening grip on the strait

The diplomatic overture comes as Iran's practical control over traffic through the strait has eroded sharply. Weekly vessel transits have surged from around 40 two weeks ago to nearly 200 more recently, with more than 80% of liquid cargo shipments either using the U.S.-backed Omani corridor or moving without transponders, likely along the same southern route Tehran has rejected. One oil-market analyst described the shift bluntly, saying it increasingly looks as though Iran has at least partially lost control of the strait. The strait became a flashpoint after war broke out earlier this year between Iran, the United States and Israel, and the current negotiations build on a June memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran aimed at ending that conflict. Qatar has voiced support for the talks, with its prime minister expected to travel to Tehran for follow-up discussions, and news of the proposed framework helped push oil prices lower for a third straight session as traders weighed the prospect of more Gulf crude reaching global markets.