Iran and Oman Map Safe Hormuz Routes as Tehran Weighs US Proposal

Iran is considering Washington's proposals to end the war while coordinating safer maritime passage with Oman through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway for global energy shipments. On October 7 and 8, 2026, Iranian officials described ongoing diplomatic exchanges through intermediaries and announced an agreement on the geographical coordinates of inbound and outbound shipping routes, as attacks on commercial vessels heightened regional security concerns.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was reviewing the US response to its proposal, which could allow the strait to reopen within seven days. The Iranian semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday that Iran could respond within days.

Araghchi said, "The diplomatic process is still continuing," according to the report.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei separately said Tehran had communicated its conditions for ending the conflict and restoring security across the Persian Gulf region. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported that messages between Washington and Tehran continued to pass through intermediaries.

Baghaei said, "The necessary response to the proposals of the other side will also be provided through the mediators," according to IRNA.

In a separate account, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported Baghaei's statement that the country's position had been explicitly conveyed. His remarks also included the phrase "Furthermore," before he reiterated that responses to the other side's proposals would be delivered through intermediaries.

Baghaei criticized US policy toward Iran's nuclear program, responding to comments by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a visit to Athens. Rubio had said Iran failed to capitalize on multiple opportunities to reach an agreement with Washington.

Baghaei said, "Distorting historical facts cannot erase from public opinion the reality of the United States’ repeated breaches of its commitments," according to IRNA.

He cited the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement in 2018, what he described as disruptions to diplomatic efforts, and US military attacks during negotiations. Baghaei also blamed Washington for regional insecurity and its economic consequences in the United States and elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Iranian and Omani officials have agreed on the geographical coordinates of safe routes for vessels entering and leaving the Strait of Hormuz. Baghaei said the two countries had also reached an understanding on how to register and communicate the arrangement to the relevant international body, with that step expected soon.

Iranian officials have also signaled opposition to alternative oil-export routes developed by neighboring countries. A senior regional official close to Tehran told Reuters that Iran had warned regional governments that attempts to establish new export routes would be considered hostile, describing the policy as an agreement between Iran's political leadership and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

A separate regional diplomat briefed by Tehran told Reuters, 'Iran has no intention of allowing control to slip from its hands.' The diplomat said Iran had prepared plans to block routes used by other regional countries to export oil.

The diplomat added, "Iran has absolutely no intention of allowing control of the Strait of Hormuz to slip from its hands, and has plans ready to block routes that some regional countries have for exporting oil," according to Reuters.

Explaining possible enforcement measures, the diplomat said, "This could involve missile and drone attacks on ships, or sending boats to scare ships away," and added, "It plans to continue this policy of fear and threats."

Regional oil producers have recently accelerated shipments through channels closer to Oman's side of the strait before transferring cargo in open waters in the Gulf of Oman, according to sources cited by Reuters. The shipments have been accompanied by US aerial support.

Maritime risks have also extended beyond the strait itself. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency reported that projectiles struck a tanker approximately 51 nautical miles off Qatar's coast inside the Gulf within the preceding 24 hours.

Maritime security sources identified the vessel as the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged chemical tanker Acers, which was reportedly hit by multiple projectiles north of Madinat ash Shamal. The incident caused minor injuries among crew members.

Clearwater Dynamics, a subsidiary of maritime risk intelligence group Pole Star Global, said, "The Acers strike raises the prospect of a wider combat area affecting approaches to Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq," in a report issued Thursday.

Shipping industry representatives said the attacks were discouraging operators from using the strategic passage. Jakob Larsen, chief safety and security officer at shipping association BIMCO, said, "The recent spate of Iranian attacks seems to have dampened the appetite of shipowners to sail through the Strait," and added, "The Iranian threat appears to have increased."

Reuters reported that the previous week recorded the highest number of tanker attacks in the waterway since the Iran war began. The attacks coincided with a decline in vessel traffic to its lowest level in more than two months, underscoring the challenges facing efforts to restore safe commercial navigation.