Iran and Oman work on temporary Hormuz shipping route as Trump threatens to claim the strait

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says talks with Oman on a new maritime route are 'separate' from the decision to reopen Hormuz Ships dock at Charak Port in Iran's Hormozgan province on 9 August 2026 (Atta Kenare/AFP) Published date: 16 August 2026 16:43 BST | Last update: 10 sec ago Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that Tehran and Muscat were working to establish a temporary maritime route through the Strait of Hormuz, while stressing that the talks were separate from any decision on reopening the strategic waterway. “The routes that existed previously are no longer functional, so a new route needs to be defined,” Araghchi said. “For now, we are designing a temporary route, which can then, at a later stage, be turned into a final route.” Araghchi said negotiations with Oman were continuing over maritime routes for ships passing through the strait. “We may reach an outcome soon, but I want to emphasise that these negotiations and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz are two separate issues,” he said. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters “Once this route has been determined, whether the strait will be reopened or not will depend on the fulfilment of other conditions to which the United States must adhere.” The development comes after US President Donald Trump said he would designate the Strait of Hormuz a territory “pretty soon”. “After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,” Trump said during a speech at a police academy in New York on Friday. Iran formalises Strait of Hormuz control as US struggles to sustain war it launched with Israel Read More » “We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to.” Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, responded by saying: “The Strait of Hormuz cannot be seized by tweet, nor by aircraft carrier, nor by issuing an order, nor by an election speech.” “The Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian; this strait will only be closed and opened under Iran’s command, and as long as you do not accept the reality of defeat and cease your fanciful delusions, Iran will continue to enforce the blockade,” Gharibabadi said in a post on X. Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei also appeared to respond to Trump’s remarks, quoting Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov in a post on X. “The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to such a pass that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others,” Baghaei wrote. On Sunday, Iran’s army chief, Amir Hatami, also warned that Washington would regret any attempt to take control of the strait, according to Iranian state media. The exchange comes amid continuing hostilities and stalled efforts to reach a broader settlement over the waterway. Reuters reported that oil tanker traffic through Hormuz remained severely disrupted, with only two vessels recorded passing through the strait that day and no visible crude oil shipments. ​Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz on 28 February following joint military strikes by the US and Israel and has since restricted navigation in the strategic waterway, which carries about 25 percent of global seaborne oil trade. Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.