Iran, Oman discuss phased plan to reopen Strait of Hormuz as Middle East tensions persist

Iran and Oman have agreed to work towards a phased arrangement for managing ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, as the strategically vital waterway remains largely closed nearly six months into the Iran war.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi met his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Tehran on Tuesday to discuss a framework for restoring navigation through the narrow waterway, amid continued risks to commercial shipping.

A joint statement said the proposed arrangement would include a temporary joint navigational corridor, while Iran and Oman would cooperate on mine clearance operations. The two countries also agreed to continue technical negotiations on establishing a permanent shipping route and determining arrangements for the future management of navigation through the strait.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the two sides had reached an understanding on a temporary route. Under the arrangement, ships entering the Persian Gulf from the Gulf of Oman would travel entirely through Iranian waters, while vessels heading out would use both Iranian and Omani territorial waters.

Gharibabadi said Iran and Oman would hold negotiations over the next 30 to 60 days to work towards a permanent and sustainable route.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important energy corridors, with about one-fifth of global oil trade passing through it before the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.

It remains unclear whether Washington will accept the proposed arrangement. US President Donald Trump last week threatened military action against Oman if it obstructed American efforts to reopen the waterway.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials also held discussions on the strait with a Pakistani delegation that left Tehran on Tuesday after talks aimed at reviving negotiations to end the Iran-US conflict, according to Pakistan's military.

The latest diplomatic push came as an oil tanker was disabled in an attack off Oman's eastern coast on Monday night. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said the vessel's engine was disabled and all crew members were safe. There were no immediate reports of an environmental spill.

Iran has periodically fired at vessels attempting to pass through the strait as it seeks to maintain control over the waterway, although no immediate group claimed responsibility for Monday's attack. The United States has also targeted vessels while enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports.

The wider Middle East remained tense on Tuesday, with fresh Israeli strikes reported in Gaza and continued disputes over humanitarian access.

At least three Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike on Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to Shifa Hospital. Another strike northwest of Khan Younis in southern Gaza killed at least one person and injured four others, according to Nasser Hospital.

Medical Aid for Palestinians said an Israeli airstrike also destroyed a warehouse in Deir al-Balah that belonged to a local partner and contained nutritional supplies intended for children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.

The Israeli military said it had targeted a suspected militant in southern Gaza and what it described as Hamas infrastructure in Jabaliya. It did not immediately comment on the warehouse strike.

Palestinians in Gaza continue to face severe food shortages, with displaced families depending heavily on humanitarian assistance and community kitchens.

Meanwhile, Israel seized a UN-run vocational school facility on the outskirts of Jerusalem on Tuesday, escalating its confrontation with the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.

Israel's Foreign Ministry said UNRWA did not own the land on which the facility was located. The United Nations interim Middle East coordinator, Ramiz Alakbarov, described the seizure as unlawful and said it deprived around 340 Palestinian refugees of educational services.

The developments came a year after Israeli soldiers killed 22 Palestinians, including journalists and rescue workers, in a double strike on Nasser Hospital in Gaza. The incident triggered international condemnation, but no one has been held accountable.

Among those killed were Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri and Mariam Dagga, a visual journalist who worked with The Associated Press and other media organisations. The Israeli military had said the strike targeted a suspected Hamas camera on the hospital roof.

China also criticised the prospect of expanded US sanctions against Iran-linked entities, including those based in China.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Beijing was closely monitoring the sanctions announced by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and stressed that China-Iran cooperation should not be disrupted or undermined.

China is among Iran's biggest trading partners and buys the majority of Iran's oil exports. The US Treasury Department on Monday announced sanctions against nearly 60 Iran-linked entities, including several based in China, but stopped short of imposing secondary sanctions on countries trading with Iran.

The diplomatic efforts over the Strait of Hormuz, combined with continued attacks and mounting humanitarian concerns in Gaza, underline the wider regional tensions as Iran, Israel and the United States remain locked in a prolonged conflict.