Iran, Oman chart phased approach to reopen Strait of Hormuz with temporary corridor

The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively impassable since February, when war broke out in Iran. On Tuesday, the foreign ministers of Iran and Oman sat down in Tehran to begin untangling one of the world's most consequential shipping bottlenecks—a waterway through which roughly a fifth of global oil passes in normal times. What emerged from their talks was not a solution, but a framework for one: a temporary corridor that might, in the coming weeks, allow ships to move again.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi and Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi discussed what they called a phased approach to managing traffic through the strait. The immediate proposal includes two concrete elements: a temporary navigational corridor that both countries would jointly oversee, and a coordinated effort to clear mines from the waterway. Neither is simple. The temporary inbound route, for ships entering the Persian Gulf from the Gulf of Oman, would run entirely through Iranian territorial waters. The outbound route—vessels leaving the gulf—would traverse both Iranian and Omani waters. This asymmetry reflects the geography and the politics: Iran controls one side of the strait, Oman the other, and neither wants to cede control entirely.

But the temporary corridor is only the beginning. In a joint statement, the two countries committed to further negotiations over the next 30 to 60 days to establish what they called a permanent solution. Those talks will need to address not just where ships can sail, but who administers the strait, how information about traffic is shared, how security is managed, and what services—piloting, rescue, communication—will be provided. These are the bones of a new maritime order, and they will not be easy to settle.

Albusaidi signaled optimism on social media, writing that he hoped to announce the temporary corridor soon and that both countries would work toward permanent arrangements and an agreement on administration. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, speaking to state television, confirmed the routing details and the timeline for further talks. The language from both sides was measured and forward-looking, the tone of negotiators who believe they are making progress.

That progress, however, sits in the shadow of American power. A week before the Tehran talks, President Donald Trump told Fox News that if Oman interfered with separate negotiations between Washington and Tehran over the strait, the United States would strike the country. "If Oman gets in the way, we'll bomb the s--- out of them," Trump said. The comment was blunt and public, a reminder that regional diplomacy does not happen in a vacuum. Trump's threat came as a June memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran expired, leaving the diplomatic landscape uncertain.

It remains unclear whether the Trump administration will accept the deal that Iran and Oman have begun to construct. The two countries are not acting alone in their efforts to stabilize the strait. A Pakistani delegation left Tehran on Tuesday after holding talks aimed at reviving negotiations to end the war in Iran itself. Those conversations, too, involved discussion of the strait and its future. The strait's closure has rippled across global markets and regional stability. Its reopening, even in a limited and temporary form, would be a significant shift. But that reopening now depends not only on what Iran and Oman can agree to, but on whether the United States will allow it.