By Atia Abawi
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Representatives from Oman and Iran met to discuss “possible options” for allowing ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the Omani foreign ministry has said.
During the meeting on Saturday, experts and undersecretaries from both countries’ foreign ministries “presented a number of perspectives and proposals, which will be further studied,” the ministry’s statement added.
On Sunday morning, several tankers, including a Chinese vessel and one that had loaded in Iraq, appeared to have passed trhough the strait, according to shipping tracker MarineTraffic.
Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz to most traffic in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes on the country, choking off around one-fifth of the world’s oil supply from global energy markets. Tehran controls the critical waterway’s north side while Oman controls the south.
More than 180 ships have successfully transited the Strait since the outbreak of the conflict, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency. Nearly 70% of these transits were of ships owned by Iran or its allies, and countries such as China, India, Pakistan, and Turkey had negotiated passage for some of their vessels, Tasnim reported.
Before the war as many as 140 ships passed through the Strait everyday, according to the United Nations trade division.
The meeting came three days after Iran said it was drafting a protocol with Oman to monitor maritime traffic through the strait, arguing that ships’ passage should take place under the “supervision and coordination” of coastal states – even in peacetime.
Recognition of Iran’s sovereignty over the strait, which would be an anomaly under customary international law, is one of Tehran’s main demands to end the war. Earlier this week, the Iranian parliament’s Security Commission approved a plan to impose tolls on ships passing through the strait and enforce “Iran’s sovereign role,” a commission member said according to the state broadcaster.
Xenix News Mohammed Tawfeeq, Tim Lister, Abbas Al Lawati and Ibrahim Dahman contributed reporting.
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