A temporary corridor, not a final settlement
In early August 2026, Iran and Oman reached a framework for temporarily reopening the Strait of Hormuz, according to a senior official speaking anonymously to Al Arabiya and reported by B92. The framework was described as lasting about 60 days, long enough to restart commercial traffic and open technical talks on a lasting arrangement.
The same source said the deal still required approval from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. That caveat mattered. By August, Tehran’s public conditions for a full reopening were hardening even as Oman mediation advanced.
How the dual corridor would work
Under the framework described to Al Arabiya, ships entering the strait would use the corridor closest to Iran. Ships leaving would use the corridor closest to Oman. Regional countries could take part in clearing mines from the waterway.
That design tried to paper over the core dispute left open by the June 14-point memorandum: who administers Hormuz, and on what terms. June’s text had told Iran to talk with Oman about future maritime services. August’s framework was the first concrete operational sketch of that dialogue.
Parallel tracks: Washington and Islamabad
The Al Arabiya source also said indirect US-Iran talks through mediators had entered a late stage. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had held two phone calls with Pakistani army chief Asim Munir and was expected to visit Islamabad, the report said. Pakistan had already mediated earlier phases of the war’s diplomacy.
Vice President JD Vance told Fox News around the same window that Iran had informed Washington it did not plan transit fees and would allow pre-war volumes of oil and gas out of the Gulf. “We do not trust, we verify,” Vance said, according to B92. He also said Iran and Gulf states, especially Oman, were working on safe passage, mine clearance, and a no-fire pledge for commercial vessels.
Why this sits between July collapse and August deadlock
July reimposed the US blockade and Trump’s 20 percent “guardian” toll claim. Early August diplomacy tried to rebuild a narrower path: temporary corridors, Oman as co-manager, verification instead of trust. The framework did not by itself end the blockade, settle nuclear terms, or cancel Iranian maximalist conditions that followed on August 8.
Sources
- B92 / Al Arabiya anonymous official, about August 6, 2026: 60-day Iran-Oman framework; SNSC approval; dual corridors; mine clearance; late-stage mediated talks; Araghchi-Munir channel
- B92 / Fox News via JD Vance remarks, about August 8, 2026: no planned fees; pre-war energy volumes; verify not trust; Oman talks on mines and safe passage
