Iran outlines a Hormuz corridor with Oman, then says the strait remains closed

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on state television on Tuesday 25 August that Iran and Oman had outlined a temporary shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz after weeks of negotiation. Per AP, relayed by The Hill, traffic entering the Persian Gulf from the Gulf of Oman would pass through Iranian waters, while outbound traffic would use waters belonging to either Iran or Oman; the two states set a window of 30 to 60 days to negotiate a fuller understanding. The IRGC then told the semi-official Tasnim agency, in a claim carried by Bloomberg, that “agreements have been reached regarding each country’s share of the strait’s waters as well as Iran and Oman’s share of its revenues.” No Omani confirmation of any revenue split appeared in the reporting reviewed for this brief. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, who met Abbas Araghchi in Tehran on Tuesday to discuss the corridor and a joint mine-clearance project, wrote on X that he hoped the two countries would “soon announce” the corridor, and that “future management of the strait and a permanent solution will follow in due course.”

Tehran’s own framing undercuts the reopening story: Al Jazeera’s 26 August live file leads on Iran saying Hormuz remains closed despite the Oman route deal, and CNBC reports Iran describing the United States as the obstacle to a Hormuz agreement. The waterway is also still being shot at. A UKMTO advisory dated 27 August, filed as attack-121-26, states that “local authorities have reported a tanker has been hit by an unknown projectile causing fire to the vessel which has since been extinguished,” with all crew safe and no reported environmental impact. UKMTO names “local authorities” as its source — it is relaying, not verifying — and the advisory as retrieved gives no vessel name, flag or position. No party has claimed responsibility. Coverage is also collapsing incidents: UPI reported a tanker disabled off Oman “early Tuesday,” and both Al Jazeera and CNBC refer to a Tuesday strike, so whether Thursday’s advisory describes a fresh attack or an update remains unresolved. A distinct 18 August strike killed one crew member and damaged an engine room.

Assessment: Read the tenses. The IRGC describes a concluded agreement including a cut of the strait’s revenues; Oman’s foreign minister describes something he hopes will be announced. Until Muscat says the word “revenues” out loud, that element should be treated as an Iranian military claim addressed to an Iranian audience — it converts a blockade into an administered waterway, which is a status upgrade, not a de-escalation. A corridor routed through Iranian waters institutionalises the control Iran has been exercising by force. CNBC’s report that US allies have “reportedly” challenged Washington’s claim that Iran’s mines are fully cleared is second-hand and single-sourced, but mine clearance is the load-bearing technical claim under any reopening, and Thursday’s advisory is the kind of event that keeps insurers, not communiqués, in charge of traffic volumes.