Oman resists US pressure to break ties with Iran over strait of Hormuz

The US is suspicious that Oman is planning a system of fees for the strait of Hormuz. Photograph: Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA/Reuters View image in fullscreen The US is suspicious that Oman is planning a system of fees for the strait of Hormuz. Photograph: Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA/Reuters Oman resists US pressure to break ties with Iran over strait of Hormuz Sultanate says talks with Tehran are limited to lawful management of waterway, but Washington has doubts about neutrality Oman is resisting US pressure to break its links with Iran , and insists it has only been negotiating with Tehran on a future management system for the strait of Hormuz that would be compliant with international law. The aim would be to implement any regime after consulting the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO). Traditionally Oman , a longtime US ally that shares stewardship of the strait, has adopted the role of a back-channel mediator allowing it to remain neutral in disputes that have led to fissures in other parts of the Gulf. Its neutrality has limits. It is highly critical of Israel’s disdain for international law, and on Wednesday issued a statement condemning the Iranian attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait. But Donald Trump last week, in off-the-cuff remarks, threw Oman into the spotlight by threatening to bomb the sultanate, and in giving evidence to the Senate foreign affairs committee on Tuesday the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, confirmed US suspicions about Oman . He said: “There isn’t a country on Earth other than Iran – and maybe Oman that flirted with it – who’s in favour of what Iran is doing in the straits.” Oman has tried to avoid becoming involved in an official slanging match with Trump. But in calls with the US Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, and meetings inside the state department, Oman’s Washington ambassador Talal bin Suleiman al-Rahbi last week tried to assure the US that the sultanate is opposed to a system of tolls, and will uphold the principle of freedom of navigation. View image in fullscreen Marco Rubio hinted that Oman is in league with Iran over the strait of Hormuz. Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters Iran has said that as part of any agreement to reopen the strait of Hormuz it is willing within a month to ensure the passage of shipping returns to prewar levels. But it has also set up a body, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, now sanctioned by the US Treasury, to which ships must seek permission to go through the strait. In a bid to make its plan compliant with international law, and more palatable to Oman, Iran is proposing a non-discriminatory fee for ships passing through. Arman Khorsand, head of Iran’s Department of Environment Center for International Affairs and Environmental Conventions, said this week: “The issue is not charging vessels simply because they pass through the strait. The objective is to secure resources needed to address environmental damage and compensate for the consequences of actions that have unde