Oman has signaled to European authorities that it sees no possibility of returning to the pre-war scenario in the Strait of Hormuz and that ships transiting the route may start paying some type of fee, according to people familiar with the conversations.
According to these sources, Omani authorities said that the country will continue to respect international maritime law, but considered that fees may be charged for services such as decontamination of the maritime route or navigation support. It is not yet clear whether these charges would be mandatory in all cases.
Oman would also be analyzing models adopted in other global trade bottlenecks, such as the Strait of Malacca, in Asia — although there are no mandatory tariffs for navigation there.
The possibility of creating a toll or fee system in Hormuz, possibly in coordination with Iran, has raised concerns among the United States, Europe and Gulf Arab countries. The topic should be on the agenda of the meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq, in Paris, on Monday.
According to Macron’s office, the two leaders will discuss the security of maritime routes, which depends on “free and unconditional” passage through the strait. Oman’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the country’s embassy in France have not commented on the matter so far.
Oman and Iran share geographic control of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important maritime routes for transporting oil and liquefied natural gas. Iran closed the passage by attacking and threatening vessels from the end of February, when the United States and Israel began bombing the Islamic Republic. Western governments also claim that Tehran has likely installed mines in parts of the region.
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Now, with the US and Iran in peace negotiations, Tehran insists on participating in the management of maritime traffic together with Oman. For commodity trading companies and shipping companies, the eventual collection of fees can represent an annual cost of tens of billions of dollars. Governments such as the USA, United Kingdom, France, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have already warned that this would violate international maritime law.
An ally of Washington, Oman maintains a close relationship with Iran and is often seen as a neutral actor in the region — which has earned it the nickname “Switzerland of the Middle East”. Before the war, the country acted as a mediator between Americans and Iranians.
In recent days, however, Muscat has been sending mixed signals about the future of Hormuz. On Tuesday, it released a joint statement with Iran saying it would discuss operating the waterway and associated costs. Two days later, he signed a note with the US and the Gulf Cooperation Council rejecting “any tolls, fees or attempts to exercise control over the strait”.
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“They said at the meeting and signed the declaration stating that there will be no fees or tolls, so that seems like good news to me,” said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during a visit to Bahrain.
Still, Omani officials told Europeans that the country is under pressure from Iran. During the conflict, the Islamic Republic launched missiles and drones across the Middle East, including against Oman, and remains the main military power in the Persian Gulf, despite the losses suffered in attacks by the US and Israel.
“Oman is trying to balance between Iran and the United States, standing between a rock and a hard place,” said Bader Al-Saif, a professor at Kuwait University and a research associate at Chatham House. “This has worked reasonably well in the past. But with both sides at war and trying to one-up each other, this Omani behavior is likely to take a toll.”
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Iran has already stated that ships crossing the strait will need to take out insurance with the country and signaled that these policies will only be free for around 60 days. The issue became one of the main points of friction in negotiations between Tehran and Washington for a definitive peace agreement, after almost four months of war.
On Thursday, Rubio said Iran will have to guarantee toll-free passage through Hormuz if it wants to reach a formal deal with the United States. Otherwise, he said, other countries could try to do the same in strategic maritime bottlenecks, which would lead to “chaos”.
The flow of oil through Hormuz has rebounded since President Donald Trump last week signed an interim peace deal with Iran, a move that helped drive down oil prices. Still, traffic remains well below pre-war levels, and risks remain. On Thursday, the container ship Ever Lovely was hit in the region.
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Most governments argue that ships can cross Hormuz without paying taxes. In general, this is also the rule in other natural straits shared by more than one country. In the Strait of Malacca, for example, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore manage the route in a coordinated way and only charge for specific navigation and security services when necessary.
© 2026 Bloomberg L.P.
