Iran Warns Against New Oman-IMO Shipping Corridor in Hormuz

The Government of Oman and the International Maritime Organization established a new shipping corridor in the Strait of Hormuz without consulting Iran. During a joint ministerial meeting with the United States and Gulf Cooperation Council in Bahrain, Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi announced that Oman would not impose transit fees on vessels to ensure free and secure navigation in the strategic waterway.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded in Baghdad, asserting that responsibility for managing the strait rests solely with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Araghchi warned that separate shipping arrangements would delay the waterway's reopening and increase regional tensions. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization subsequently warned vessels against using the new corridor.

These diplomatic disputes follow a surge in military activity. On June 27, the United States conducted strikes on Iranian targets after a ship was attacked in the strait, prompting Iran to strike U.S. bases in the Gulf. These clashes threaten a fragile ceasefire and a memorandum of understanding signed earlier in June to end a war initiated by the United States and Israel on February 28. Araghchi proposed a new regional security framework that excludes outside powers and welcomed Iraqi efforts to coordinate a meeting between Iran, Iraq, and Gulf States.