Ships are photographed on June 28, 2026 off the coast of Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the region’s only natural deep-sea port and one of the major container ports in the emirate of Sharjah along the Gulf of Oman. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) /
– | AFP | getty images
Oman has agreed to work with Britain and France to ensure the Gulf country’s territorial waters are safe for navigation, Britain said on Saturday, after the US and Iran signed a deal last month to reopen the vital sea route following a surge in oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
“The UK and France are also prepared to deploy a wider multinational military mission to support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said In a joint statement with French President Emmanuel Macron.
“The Strait of Hormuz is a vital artery for the global economy. Restoring safe transit for ships of all nations through the Strait is a matter of global concern,” the statement said.
France said it had deployed counter-mine measures, including two mine-hunting ships, in the Middle East.
“Along with two frigates and one maritime patrol aircraft, these assets are ready to contribute, together with our allies, to the full restoration of navigation and ensuring the safety of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.” Macron said in a statement On X.
UK, France and more than two dozen countries said in may That they will support freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz under the Multinational Military Mission for the Seaway.
Oman’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to CNBC’s email request for comment on Saturday.
iran warned against UK and French moves.
“The Strait of Hormuz is not a theater of military display by extra-regional powers,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said in a post on Twitter.
“The security of Hormuz depends on the coastal states; those instigating the crisis will be held accountable for the consequences of their audacity; this is a serious warning,” Gharibabadi said.
principal arbitrator
Located on the south-eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, facing Iran across the strait, Oman in joint talks with Iran on new maritime security arrangement reports Both countries may push for establishing transit fees.
Oman has said any deal would comply with international law, although the prospect of a financial system on the waterway that normally handles about 20% of the world’s oil has raised concerns.
The Gulf country has served as a key mediator in regional crises and remains one of the few countries trusted by both Tehran and Washington, eager to restart flows through the strait after it was blocked during the war, which has triggered a global energy crisis.
Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq met Starmer in London on Thursday. The two talked about reducing conflict in the Middle East and “securing maritime navigation through the strategic waterways of the Gulf,” Oman’s state news agency said in a statement. Post On X.
The US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on June 17 to end the nearly four-month war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and scheduled 60 days of talks to work on a permanent peace deal.
Since then, oil shipments have boomed. Saudi Arabia has shipped about 34 million barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz since June 17, according to data from trade intelligence firm Kpler. Riyadh’s exports in the two weeks to July 2 were more than double the 15 million barrels the kingdom shipped through the strait from March 9 to June 17.
Benchmark Brent crude oil prices have fallen 39% from their peak in March.
Brent crude oil price per barrel, year to date.
The US has strongly opposed any tolls in the Strait of Hormuz.
The administration of US President Donald Trump had earlier also threatened “Aggressively“Impose sanctions against Oman if it is seen helping Iran in setting up a tolling system.
Treasury Secretary Scott Besant said, “All nations should roundly reject any efforts by Iran to disrupt the free flow of commerce.” Said In a post on May 28 on
Under the terms of the US and Iran memorandum of understanding, Tehran cannot impose tolls on ships during 60 days of talks to find a permanent solution.
In an interview with CNBC on Thursday, Trump said that “not a single ship came into Iran”, suggesting that the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz had not been broken during the Iran war.
“It was a wall of steel,” he said.
However, According to the shipping industry information service Lloyd’s ListThe blockade was broken several times by the “Iranian shadow fleet”.
Iran has exported more than 40 million barrels of crude since the US lifted a naval blockade of Iranian ports, and is now selling oil at prices nearly 20% higher than before the war, Iran’s parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Tuesday.