Iran and Oman have reportedly held fresh discussions on enforcing a permanent toll on the Strait of Hormuz, despite Donald Trump’s warnings the international waterway must remain free and open to foreign shipping.
In the latest sign of diplomacy under strain, people familiar with talks told the New York Times that Oman has come around to the idea of sharing revenues from ships crossing the Strait.
The closure of the Strait through the war has created massive disruption to a vital channel of commerce that ordinarily carries a fifth of global oil and LNG. Iran has floated plans to continue charging some $2m for tankers post-war.
The proposed toll remains a sticking point in negotiations even as US officials insist there have been “some good signs” in talks to end the war.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio told reporters on Thursday that there could be no solution to the war if Tehran pursues a tolling system in the Strait. Donald Trump said Washington wants the Strait to remain “open” and “free” without tolls.
Iran’s foreign minister met Pakistan’s interior minister on Friday to discuss proposals to end the war, according to Iranian media, with Tehran and Washington still at odds over the Strait and Tehran’s uranium stockpile.
