Tehran and Muscat finalize interim shipping corridor in Strait of Hormuz
Iran's deputy foreign minister announced that Tehran and Oman have agreed on a temporary transit route through the Strait of Hormuz, with entry and part of the exit passing through Iranian territorial waters. The corridor is 11.3 kilometres wide and is intended to manage shipping after most traffic was halted during the US-Israel war on Iran. Technical talks for a permanent arrangement are planned.
The temporary corridor spans 11.3 kilometres and routes inbound traffic through Iranian territorial waters, with part of the outbound passage also falling within Iran's jurisdiction. This arrangement follows months of on-and-off negotiations between the two coastal states, which had been discussing how to manage the waterway after most commercial shipping halted during the conflict that began in February.
The agreement comes after the collapse of a June memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States, which had backed a southern corridor hugging the Omani coast. Iran rejected that route and attacked ships using it. Technical talks for a permanent framework, including information sharing and navigational services, are planned, while mine-clearance operations in the strait remain an unresolved issue.
This interim arrangement could provide some predictability for global oil and LNG markets that have faced severe disruption since shipping halted in the strait. Maritime insurers, shipping firms, and energy-dependent economies may see modest relief if the corridor operates safely, though the recent tanker incident near Oman suggests risks persist. Regional populations could benefit from stabilised trade flows, but the corridor's temporary nature and unresolved political tensions may keep uncertainty elevated for businesses and consumers worldwide.