Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi will visit Tehran on Tuesday to continue talks between Tehran and Muscat on the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has said.
Mr Albusaidi will meet his Iranian counterpart to discuss “the security of the Strait of Hormuz and its shipping lanes”, Mr Baghaei said on Monday in a statement carried by official news outlets.
“This trip is in line with strengthening Iran-Oman bilateral co-operation and continuing sustained political consultations between the two sides as littoral states of the Strait of Hormuz, to help bolster peace and stability in the region,” he added.
US President Donald Trump threatened last week to bomb Oman if it “gets in the way” of US efforts to end the war with Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The US and Iran remain divided over how to end their months-long conflict, while Oman has pursued separate discussions with Iran over arrangements for navigation through the vital waterway.
Mr Trump himself agreed in a signed document that Oman would “conduct dialogue” with Iran to define the future administration and maritime services in the strait.
The 14-point memorandum of understanding negotiated in Islamabad and signed on June 17 was intended as an interim framework for ending the war, opening a window for negotiations on a longer-term nuclear agreement. The MoU expired on August 17 after the broader understanding had already collapsed amid a flurry of tit-for-tat strikes.
The main dispute centred on how each side interpreted the clause on the Strait of Hormuz. Iran viewed the language in the text as recognising its right to manage the whole strait. The US, however, took it to mean that Iran must guarantee freedom of navigation and refrain from using access to vital waterways as leverage.
Oman shares the strait with Iran. Last week, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said Oman and Iran had reached an “understanding” regarding the waterway and were working to finalise a joint statement.
Mr Albusaidi’s scheduled arrival follows diplomatic engagements by Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, who arrived in Tehran on Monday.
Pakistan, which has served as an active mediator in indirect negotiations between the US and Iran, said Mr Munir’s trip was part of its efforts “to promote regional peace and stability”.
The Pakistani military chief’s talks in Tehran come as the US prepares to roll out what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called “the greatest financial offensive ever” targeting Iran’s trade partners.
Iran dismissed the US threat, vowing to shut down all oil exports from the Gulf “if the economic war continues”. It also issued a new warning to shipping not to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without its permission.
Mr Bessent has promised to reveal severe measures on Iran, which has endured near-continuous economic sanctions since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Mr Bessent issued the warning in an opinion piece published on Monday in The Financial Times. He is due to hold a press conference at 9pm UAE time.
“At dawn begins an economic D-Day – the single greatest financial offensive ever marshalled against an adversary,” Mr Bessent wrote.
