Two of Iran’s most prominent statesmen landed in Muscat, Oman, on Monday to discuss the possible management of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are two of the most influential non-Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officials in Iran, making the visit particularly notable. They were welcomed by Oman’s foreign minister at the airport and are set to meet with Oman’s sultan for discussions.
The trip is to focus on “arrangements for managing the Strait of Hormuz,” according to Iran International.
The meeting was called for in the fifth clause clause in the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, outlining, “The Islamic Republic of Iran will conduct dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman, to define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz, in discussions with other Persian Gulf Littoral States, in line with applicable international law and the sovereign rights of coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz.”
The fifth clause is one of the most controversial of the MOU, both for the floating of a new strait authority managed by Oman and Iran and the provision that the collection of tolls will be forbidden for “60 days only.”
While Tehran appears to believe that tolls will be imposed after the 60 days end, the United States has no such plans.
“There will be NO TOLLS in the Hormuz Strait for 60 days during the Cease Fire Period, and there will be NO TOLLS after the 60 day period has expired, unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America, should the deal not be completed, for services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East for purposes of both past, present, and future reimbursement of costs,” President Donald Trump wrote in a Saturday post on Truth Social.
Vice President JD Vance, who is taking part in negotiations with Switzerland, has echoed this sentiment.
The Gulf States have been outspoken about their opposition to the charging of tolls. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al Saud said in a recent talk that only a return to the status quo before the war would be acceptable.
TRUMP SAYS THERE ‘WILL BE NO TOLLS’ IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ DURING OR AFTER 60-DAY CEASEFIRE
“The management of the strait was working fine before the conflict,” he said. “There were no issues. Ships were navigating freely. There was no safety issue. There was no environmental issue. There were no issues.
“So why should we now, as a result of a conflict, accept some novel arrangement that is going to be imposed on it? That, to me, doesn’t make sense.”