Iranian and Omani officials met for the first time to discuss the management of the Strait of Hormuz after they disagreed last week over tolls and routes through the vital waterway.
Both countries have claimed sovereignty over the strait.
“During the trip to Muscat, the first meeting of the Joint Hormuz Committee took place,” said Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi. Xwithout saying when it happened.
“While considering current issues related to the strait, we exchanged views on further management,” he added.
The future of the strait, which is a vital route for global oil and gas supplies, has been a major point of contention between the US and Iran.
Iran has said it may impose “service fees” on ships passing through the canal, which the US opposes, saying the strait is an international waterway.
Hamed Malekpour/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty 
Oman expressed an ambiguous position. Last Tuesday, he issued a joint statement with Iran saying they were studying the costs of managing the strait, then said a “passage fee” was not planned and that a “temporary sea corridor” would be opened in coordination with the United Nations.
Iran responded by saying that the only authorized route was a corridor near its coastline.
The US-Iranian memorandum of understanding states that “Iran will engage in dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman to determine the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz, in consultation with other Gulf littoral states, in accordance with applicable international law and the sovereign rights of the Strait of Hormuz littoral states.”
The text says that cross-strait calling will be free “only for 60 days” after signing the agreement.
