MUSCAT, Oman, June 23, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Iran and Oman will study the costs to

be charged for services provided in administering the Strait of Hormuz, the

two countries said Tuesday, insisting they held sovereignty over the

waterway.

Tehran has repeatedly said it plans to charge what it calls maritime service

fees for crossing the strait, as opposed to tolls, a plan fiercely opposed by

the United States.

In a joint statement on Tuesday, Iran and Oman emphasised their "sovereign

rights over their territorial waters", but Muscat's foreign minister said on

X that both sides were committed to "toll-free safe passage".

They "agreed to maintain their dialogue on this issue through a joint working

group between the two foreign ministries", the statement said.

The working group was aimed at reaching "agreement on the future

administration of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the services that

will be provided in this regard and the costs associated with them in

accordance with international standards", they said.

The statement followed meetings in Muscat between top officials from the two

nations.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and chief negotiator Mohammad

Bagher Ghalibaf met Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq and Foreign Minister Badr

Albusaidi.

Last week, Iran's foreign ministry said the country would impose what it

called maritime service fees for crossing the strait.

Ghalibaf has said the fees will come into effect after a 60-day period

without charges that is stipulated in a memorandum of understanding signed

with the United States.

The MOU states that Iran and Oman, which border the strait, will discuss its

"future administration and maritime services" alongside other Gulf countries.

The strait, through which roughly 20 percent of the world's crude oil and

liquified natural gas normally transits, was closed by Iran after it came

under fire from the United States and Israel.

But Iran has since lifted its blockade as part of the deal signed with the US

last week.

Prior to the memorandum of understanding, Oman had come under fire from US

officials over reports it planned to charge joint tolls with Iran.

US President Donald Trump has threatened that if Oman tries to control the

waterway alongside Iran he will "blow them up".

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has also said he will sanction Muscat if

it helps impose a tolling system.

On Tuesday, Omani Foreign Minister Albusaidi said on X following his meeting

with Araghchi and Ghalibaf that "we affirmed commitment to international law

and toll-free safe passage".

BSS/AFP/SSS/1916 hrs