Reuters: Iran is willing to conditionally open the Oman side of the "Hormuz Strait" route, unlocking the world's energy lifeline

The global crude oil lifeline is expected to be unblocked! According to an exclusive report by Reuters, Iran has submitted a key proposal to the United States, saying it is willing to conditionally allow ships to avoid attack and freely sail through the “Oman side” waters of the Strait of Hormuz. Since conflict broke out between the US and Iran at the end of February, hundreds of commercial ships and 20,000 crew members have been stranded in the Persian Gulf. The proposal is seen as a major softening in Iran’s stance, but whether it will ultimately work out still depends on whether the United States is willing to make concessions at the negotiating table.
(Background: US officials reveal that the US and Iran are moving toward a “ceasefire framework agreement,” and Iran has been blocked to the brink of bankruptcy)
(Additional background: Iran claims that Lebanon and Israel will cease fire for one week starting tonight! Israel quickly refutes: that’s not true—fighting continues with Hezbollah)

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• Conditional exchange: open the Oman-side waters, hoping for US compromise
• Signals of concession: giving up extreme “toll fees” and sovereignty claims
• Returning to the 1968 strait separation agreement?

The Middle East war situation—driving the world’s energy nerves—is showing a potential solution amid extreme pressure. Since this year’s February 28, when the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, the world’s most important energy chokepoint, the Strait of Hormuz (Strait of Hormuz), has been blocked, leading to the largest-ever disruption to nearly 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies.

However, according to Reuters’ exclusive report on Thursday (the 16th), Tehran authorities appear ready to make concessions at the negotiating table.

Conditional exchange: open the Oman-side waters, hoping for US compromise

A source familiar with Tehran’s briefing said that as part of the negotiation proposal with the United States, Iran is considering a proposal: to allow ships to freely navigate through the “Oman side” waters of the Strait of Hormuz without the risk of being attacked.

Since the outbreak of the war, hundreds of oil tankers and cargo ships, as well as up to 20,000 crew members, have been trapped in the Persian Gulf and unable to move. At present, both sides are within the “two-week temporary ceasefire period” that took effect on April 8, and US President Donald Trump also said publicly on Wednesday that the war is “close to ending,” but control of the Strait of Hormuz has always been the most troublesome core dispute at the negotiating table.

The source emphasized that the key to this proposal is “whether Washington is ready to meet Tehran’s demands.” It is still unclear whether Iran will agree to clear the mines it has laid in those waters, or whether it will allow all ships (including those related to Israel) to pass freely. The White House and Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs have not immediately commented on this.

Signals of concession: giving up extreme “toll fees” and sovereignty claims

The narrowest part of the Strait of Hormuz is only 34 kilometers (21 miles) wide, located between Iran and Oman. It is the only waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean, and a main route for exporting important goods such as Middle Eastern energy and fertilizers.

Western security sources said that a proposal to allow ships to pass through Oman waters without impediment is indeed being considered. This is seen as the first clear sign that Tehran is retreating from its recent “extreme belligerent stance.” In the past few weeks, Iran had threatened to “charge passage fees” to ships traversing this international waterway and to impose full sovereignty control over the strait; this drew strong backlash from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which warned that this would set a “dangerous precedent” and violate international maritime conventions.

Returning to the 1968 strait separation agreement?

If this proposal is implemented, it would be the first step toward restoring the strait’s existing navigation status. According to the “Bidirectional Traffic Separation Plan” adopted in 1968 in an agreement between the United Nations shipping agency and regional countries, the current vessel navigation system already divides shipping lanes into Iranian waters and Omani waters.

The proposal is being floated as the US military further increases the pressure. The US military just imposed a strict maritime blockade on oil tankers leaving Iranian ports this past Monday. Under extreme economic sanctions and military deterrence, whether Iran can use the concession of the Oman-side route to gain breathing room will be a key variable determining global energy prices and the direction of peace in the Middle East.