Iran and Oman have exchanged proposals regarding the future management of the Strait of Hormuz, as points of contention continue to exist between the two nations whose territorial waters border the strategic waterway.

Oman presented a proposal to Iran for a joint regional mechanism to manage the Strait of Hormuz with “voluntary fees”, Reuters reported on Tuesday. Under the Omani proposal, which reportedly has regional backing, Iran would not exercise sole control of the strait, an unnamed Gulf source and Western diplomat told the news agency.

Oman’s proposal is reportedly based on the Strait of Malacca, where Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore ask ships to voluntarily contribute to fund navigation, environmental protection, and search-and-rescue operations.

This proposal aims to contribute to ending the global disruption to trade caused by the strait’s closure in the US-Israeli war on Iran. Tehran, however, says the strait cannot go back to its pre-war status where shipping flowed freely.

Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, said Tehran rejects an Omani proposal for an equal division of transit routes, as such a plan does not address Tehran’s security concerns.

Gharibabadi said that Tehran proposed to Oman that Iran would manage shipping through its side of the strait and Muscat would manage part but not all of the opposite lane. He added that Tehran has “no plans to negotiate with the US”, but affirmed talks are proceeding “step by step” with Oman.

Analysts note that while Oman’s proposal is positive, it remains to be seen if hardliners in Iran will accept it. The Strait of Malacca model raises about $70 million annually, far from the $1 million per ship reportedly proposed by Tehran as a “service fee” in the Strait of Hormuz.

Source: www.aljazeera.com