Authors: Parisa Hafeez and Jonathan Saul
DUBAI, April 15 (Reuters) – Iran could consider allowing ships to sail freely through the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz without risk of attack as part of its proposals in talks with the United States if a deal is reached to prevent a new conflict, sources briefed by Tehran said.
The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has caused the worst-ever disruption to global oil and gas supplies as Iran disrupts traffic through the strait, which handles about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows.
Hundreds of tankers and other ships and 20,000 sailors have been stranded in the Gulf since the war broke out on February 28. A two-week ceasefire took effect on April 8, and U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the war was nearing an end, but control of the Strait of Hormuz remained a key issue in negotiations.
The sources, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Iran may be willing to let ships use the other side of the narrow strait in Omani waters without any hindrance from Tehran.
The sources did not say whether Iran would also agree to clear any mines it might have planted in that area or allow all ships – even those with ties to Israel – to pass freely.
But the proposal is contingent on Washington’s readiness to meet Tehran’s demands, a condition critical for any potential breach of the Strait of Hormuz, the sources added.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Iran’s Foreign Ministry could not immediately be reached for comment.
A Western security source said proposals to allow ships unhindered passage through Omani waters were already in the works, but it was unclear whether there would be any response from Washington.
The strait is just 34 kilometers (21 miles) wide between Iran and Oman, providing access from the Gulf to the Indian Ocean and a major conduit for energy supplies and other important commodities such as fertilizers in the Middle East.
The proposal would be Tehran’s first apparent step back from more militant ideas that have emerged in recent weeks, including charging ships to transit international waterways and imposing sovereignty over straits – unprecedented unilateral steps seen by the global shipping industry as violating maritime conventions.
At a meeting of the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization body in London this week, member states rejected Iran’s idea of ​​imposing tolls on ships using the strait, which the IMO said would “set a dangerous precedent.”
Iran’s proposal would also be a first step toward restoring the status quo for navigation in the strait, which has existed for decades despite Iran regularly seizing ships passing through the waterway.
The current ship routing system was created by the United Nations shipping agency in 1968, with the consent of the region’s countries, using a so-called two-way traffic separation plan that separates navigation corridors in Iranian and Omani waters.
The United States on Monday imposed a blockade on oil tankers leaving Iranian ports, and broader shipping traffic has remained sluggish since February 28.
(Reporting by Parisa Hafezi in Dubai and Jonathan Saul in London, additional reporting by Steve Holland in Washington; Editing by Nia Williams)
