NEW YORK, August 4. /TASS/. Iran and Oman are close to reaching an agreement to reopen shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, ratifying Tehran’s control over the waterway, The New York Times reported.
Officials familiar with the emerging accord said that vessels heading into the Persian Gulf would transit a channel controlled by Iran, and close to its coast, while ships leaving the Gulf would travel on a channel near Oman.
According to the report, Iranian officials say that while there will be no tolls charged, the agreement includes a "service fee" to cover the environmental impact of the shipping, security for the cargo ships and tankers, and staffing. Revenues would be divided equally between Iran and Oman, two Iranian officials said.
Inside the Pentagon, some senior officials are skeptical of such an arrangement, saying that it would amount to a US capitulation.
US President Donald Trump said earlier that additional details about talks between Washington and Tehran would emerge on August 4. He added that parties were already in contact, although Iran was unwilling to acknowledge the dialogue publicly. Trump had previously said that the US and Iran would engage in talks on August 3.