Gulf states have backed an Omani proposal that would let Iran collect voluntary fees from ships using the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported Tuesday, turning a disputed fee idea into the clearest new diplomatic track for reopening one of the world’s most important energy routes.
The plan, reported by Reuters and published by Internazionale, would not give Iran sole control of the strait. Instead, a Gulf source said the mechanism would resemble the voluntary contribution system used in the Strait of Malacca, where coastal states ask ships to help fund navigation, environmental protection, and search-and-rescue services.
That distinction matters because the U.S. has opposed mandatory fees for ships passing through Hormuz, while Iran has argued that it should have a role in supervising transit. Before the war, the waterway carried about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows, according to Reuters.
Why this is a new opening
The immediate shift is regional support. Earlier reporting showed Oman trying to bridge the gap between Iran’s demand for some form of transit payment and Washington’s insistence on free passage. Reuters now reports that Gulf states are backing the Omani voluntary-fee model, giving the proposal more diplomatic weight.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi discussed Hormuz in separate calls with his Omani and Saudi counterparts, according to statements carried by Reuters and CBS News. Iranian state media said the calls focused on regional cooperation and stability in the strait.
The Times of Israel, citing Reuters, also reported that the proposal would keep Iran from exercising sole control over Hormuz while allowing a regional mechanism for voluntary contributions.
Trump is talking, but still threatening strikes
The diplomatic opening remains fragile. President Donald Trump said Monday that the U.S. was having “good talks” with Iran and that there was a chance of progress, according to Reuters reporting carried by gCaptain. But he also warned that if diplomacy fails, the U.S. could resume the strikes it paused after nearly two weeks of bombing.
CBS News reported Tuesday that Iran’s Khatam Al-Anbiya central military command warned it would not leave U.S. threats unanswered after Trump’s comments. The Iranian command accused the U.S. of threatening Iranian vessels, commercial ships, and oil tankers in Iran’s coastal and territorial waters.
Iran has publicly denied seeking direct negotiations with the United States, but multiple reports say messages continue to move through regional mediators. That leaves the Hormuz proposal as a practical test: whether indirect diplomacy can produce a maritime arrangement before the military pause breaks.
Shipping risk is still high
The strait remains tense even as oil prices have eased from last week’s spike. Reuters reported that Iran effectively shut Hormuz to ships other than its own after U.S. and Israeli attacks in February, and that a partial reopening deal collapsed in early July after Iran fired on ships using a channel it did not approve.
CBS News also reported fresh drone incidents in Jordan and Iraq on Tuesday, after Saudi Arabia and Qatar blamed Iranian-backed militias for earlier incursions. Israel said it intercepted a drone near the Jordanian border and was reviewing its origin.
The core issue is now less abstract than a broad ceasefire. Shipowners need to know who controls the route, whether any fees are legal or voluntary, and whether U.S. or Iranian forces will challenge vessels that follow the other side’s instructions.
If the Omani plan holds, it could give Iran a face-saving role without creating a mandatory toll regime. If it collapses, Hormuz could stay stuck between rival rules, with every tanker transit carrying the risk of a new confrontation.