Oman, Iran explore new options for Strait of Hormuz shipping passage

Representatives from Oman and Iran held talks to explore “possible options” for the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the Omani foreign ministry confirmed.

During the meeting, experts and undersecretaries from both nations’ foreign ministries “presented a number of perspectives and proposals, which will be further studied,” CNN reports.

By the morning of April 5, several tankers, including a Chinese vessel and one loaded in Iraq, appeared to have successfully passed through the strait, according to shipping tracker MarineTraffic.

Iran has effectively restricted the Strait of Hormuz for most maritime traffic in response to US-Israeli strikes, blocking roughly one-fifth of the global oil supply. Tehran oversees the strait’s northern side while Oman manages the southern side.

Since the conflict began, over 180 ships have reportedly navigated the strait, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency. Nearly 70% of these transits involved vessels owned by Iran or its allies, with countries like China, India, Pakistan, and Türkiye securing passage for some of their ships, Tasnim added.

Before the outbreak of hostilities, the United Nations trade division recorded as many as 140 ships passing through the strait each day.

By Jeyhun Aghazada