Updates throughout
No vessels exited the strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours whileOman and Iran resume talks on vessel management through the waterway.
A total of four vessels entered the strait of Hormuz on 24 August, including three vessels on the northern transit lane and one tanker on the southern lane with no outbound transits recorded, according to maritime security firm Windward.This puts vessel traffic through the waterway at around 3pc of pre-war figures.
Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi on 24 August arrived in Tehran, where Iran and Oman are currently holding talks on the strait of Hormuz. The two countries issued a joint statement on 25 August saying discussions were held on a proposed framework that includes the establishment of a temporary joint maritime corridor through the strait and an agreement to carry out a joint project for mine clearance.
"Technical negotiations between the two sides will continue with the aim of reaching an agreement on a permanent maritime corridor, the future administration of the strait, as well as mechanisms for information exchange, traffic management, and the provision of maritime and security services," the statement reads.
Iran and Oman engaged in negotiations at the start of August on management of vessel traffic through the strait of Hormuz which would give Iran complete oversight over vessels entering the Mideast Gulf, which prompted the international shipping community to express concern that the proposed plan would fall short of the principles of freedom of navigation.
US president Donald Trump said in a social media post on Tuesday that "all mines have been removed and/or detonated from within the international waters of the Strait of Hormuz", warning Iran not to place new mines, citing a "Zero Tolerance policy on mine placement in full force and effect".
Traffic through the strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of the war at the end of February has largely been bifurcated between the northern Iranian-controlled lane and the southern, US-assisted transit lane, with the center lane used prior to the conflict believed by shippers to be mined.
The amount of vessel traffic on the southern lane in particular has come under increased scrutiny in recent weeks with the US claiming higher amounts of traffic through the waterway than can be corroborated independently.
There may have been at least one other vessel transit via the southern lane that was aborted after an oil tanker was hit off the coast of Oman, disabling the vessel but leaving the crew uninjured, according to the UK Maritime Trade Organization (UKMTO).
The strike is likely to be an enforcement action by Iran, which is seeking to consolidate control over traffic through the strait by attacking vessels on its non-preferred transit lanes. Iranian attacks on vessels traveling near Oman have accounted for 14 out of the 16 projectile strike incidents on commercial vessels in the strait reported since 6 July, per UKMTO. Meanwhile, Iran's newly established Persian Gulf Strait Authority's declaration of 46 vessels as non-compliant is raising concerns that more shipowners may choose to avoid Mideast Gulf trades altogether.
