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Iran may consider allowing ships to sail freely through the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz without risk of attack, as part of proposals it has offered in negotiations with the United States, provided a deal is reached to prevent a new conflict, a source informed by Tehran said.
The US-Israeli war with Iran has resulted in the largest disruption to global oil and gas supplies due to the disruption of traffic from Iran through the strait, which handles about 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas flows, Reuters reports.
Hundreds of tankers and other ships, as well as 20,000 sailors, have been stranded in the Gulf since the war began on February 28. A two-week ceasefire took effect on April 8 and US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the war was close to ending, but control of the Strait of Hormuz remains a key issue in the negotiations.
The source, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue, said Iran may be willing to allow ships to use the other side of the narrow strait in Omani waters without any hindrance from Tehran.
The source did not say whether Iran would also agree to clear any mines it may have placed in that stretch of water, or whether all ships, even those affiliated with Israel, would be allowed to pass freely.
But the source added that the proposal depended on whether Washington was prepared to meet Tehran's demands, a condition that was essential to any potential progress with the Strait of Hormuz.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Iran's Foreign Ministry was not immediately available for comment.
A Western security source said the proposal to allow ships to pass unhindered through Omani waters had been under consideration, although it was not clear whether there had been any response from Washington yet.
The strait, a strip of water just 34km wide between Iran and Oman, provides passage from the Gulf to the Indian Ocean and is a major route for energy supplies from the Middle East and other vital goods, including fertilisers.
The proposal would be the first visible step by Tehran to retreat from more bellicose ideas floated in recent weeks, which included imposing tariffs on ships for passing through the international waterway and asserting sovereignty over the strait - which are seen by the global shipping industry as unprecedented unilateral steps in violation of maritime conventions.
Member countries of the UN International Maritime Organization agency meeting in London this week rejected the idea of imposing a tax by Iran on ships using the strait, which the IMO has called "a dangerous precedent."
Iran's proposal would also be the first step towards restoring the status quo for navigation through the strait, which had been in place for decades despite Iran's periodic seizures of ships passing through the waterway.
A so-called two-way traffic separation scheme, which was adopted by the UN shipping agency in 1968 with the agreement of countries in the region, created the current ship routing system that divided shipping lanes through Iranian and Omani waters.
The US imposed a blockade on oil ships leaving Iranian ports on Monday, and widespread shipping traffic has remained quiet since February 28.
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