On August 26, 2026, Iran and Oman announced a temporary agreement covering navigation and revenue-sharing in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi stated that the two nations established a temporary maritime corridor about 7 miles (11.3 km) wide, with its entry point and part of its exit route passing through Iranian territorial waters. Additionally, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson indicated that agreements were reached regarding each country’s share of the strait’s waters and revenues, although the precise revenue-sharing mechanism was not revealed.
Gharibabadi emphasized that this arrangement is temporary and does not represent a full reopening of the strait, which has faced disruptions for much of the year during the U.S.-Israel war with Iran. He stated that the waterway will not fully reopen until the United States fulfills commitments from a June peace deal, which include sanctions relief and the release of frozen Iranian assets. Operational details, such as precise coordinates and vessel-permission protocols, have not yet been made public.
The deal follows weeks of diplomatic engagement with Oman acting as a mediator between Washington and Tehran. It arrives as oil markets react to hopes of reduced shipping disruptions in one of the world’s primary energy chokepoints, marking an initial concrete step toward normalizing maritime traffic in the strait since the conflict escalated earlier in the year.