A previously unreported Omani proposal to regulate transit through the Strait of Hormuz by dividing it into two distinct administrative corridors was disclosed on Saturday, according to a source speaking to CNN. Under the draft, which remains unfinished, both lanes would stay open: the southern corridor, running through Omani territorial waters, would guarantee freedom of navigation under the conditions that prevailed before the recent military escalation; ships using the northern corridor, which lies within Iranian territorial waters, would require advance authorisation from Tehran. No fees would be levied on vessels under the proposed arrangement. The plan emerged as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met his Omani counterpart Badr al-Busaidi in Muscat to discuss mechanisms for ensuring the security and freedom of shipping in the strait.

Official statements from Muscat and Tehran describe ongoing diplomatic engagement without confirming the details of the corridor proposal. Oman’s foreign ministry announced that the two sides agreed to continue technical and political talks in line with international law, while Araghchi’s office noted an exchange of views on appropriate mechanisms for safe passage, consistent with Article 5 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the United States. An Iranian political source, cited by the Tasnim news agency, flatly rejected an Axios report that Qatar was taking part in decision-making on the strait, insisting that any future arrangements rest solely with Iran and Oman and that Qatari participation served only a mediating role and reflected Tehran’s broader consultations with regional states.

Viewed from Washington, the Omani initiative is being watched through the lens of an ultimatum. American officials, quoted by ABC News, stated that the United States expects the talks to result in an Iranian declaration that all shipping lanes are open as they were before the war; failure to do so, they warned, “will not be a happy day” for Tehran. President Donald Trump confirmed that channels with Iran remain open despite the latest flare-up, while the US military stands poised for a massive retaliatory strike if any attempt on his life is detected—a threat linked to intelligence reports of an Iranian assassination plot. Tehran, for its part, accuses Washington of having already violated the ceasefire by revoking a license for Iranian crude sales and signals a hardened posture: an informed source told Press TV last week that Iran’s new strategy is to “completely close” the strait after any attack and then retaliate with double the force.

The diplomatic track runs against a backdrop of mutual distrust and fluctuating engagement. Since the signing of the MoU in June, two rounds of talks—one direct in Switzerland and one indirect in Qatar—yielded no breakthrough. Regional actors, including Qatar and Pakistan, have sought to sustain the dialogue; a Pakistani statement on Friday urged Tehran to safeguard the “hard-won gains” of the ceasefire. The Omani proposal, if adopted, would effectively formalise a dual-sovereignty arrangement in the world’s most critical oil chokepoint, but it has not yet secured Iranian acquiescence. Araghchi took the draft back to Tehran for internal deliberation, and no final agreement has been announced. The next concrete step is a further round of technical and political meetings, though neither side has set a date.