Oman's Hormuz Reopening Plan Hits 2-Sided Opposition Over UNCLOS Article 26
Updated
Updated · Semafor · Jul 31
Oman's Hormuz Reopening Plan Hits 2-Sided Opposition Over UNCLOS Article 26
3 articles · Updated · Semafor · Jul 31
Summary
Oman’s bid to reopen the Strait of Hormuz has run into resistance from both Iran and Western governments, leaving Muscat without backing for its proposed legal workaround.
Article 26 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea would let Oman base transit charges on payment for “specific services rendered,” a model JPMorgan said has precedents in the Danish and Turkish straits.
Iran has rejected the proposal as too limited, arguing the strait “belongs to Iran” and that Tehran should exercise greater control; Iran, like the US, is not a party to UNCLOS.
The US and Europe also oppose the plan, but for the opposite reason: they fear any fee-based arrangement could weaken the principle of freedom of navigation.
That leaves Oman trying to use international law to break a Hormuz impasse that its earlier maritime-services fee proposal was meant to ease amid the wider US-Iran crisis.