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Iran and Oman Near Agreement on Strait of Hormuz Shipping Route

23 sources across 14 countries · 2 of them are linked to a state

Who reported this

  • The Guardian United Kingdom · Centre-left · Scott Trust Limited
  • BBC News United Kingdom · Centre · Public · Licence fee, royal charter
  • Financial Times United Kingdom · Centre · Nikkei Inc.
  • Reuters United Kingdom · Centre · Thomson Reuters Corporation
  • UOL Brazil · Centre-left · Grupo Folha
  • CNN Brasil Brazil · Centre · Rubens Menin (MRV)
  • Folha de S.Paulo Brazil · Centre · Grupo Folha (Frias family)
  • Der Spiegel Germany · Centre-left · ~50% staff-owned
  • Sueddeutsche Zeitung Germany · Centre-left · Sudwestdeutsche Medien Holding
  • Frankfurter Allgemeine Germany · Centre-right · FAZIT-Stiftung (foundation)
  • Le Monde France · Centre-left · Fonds pour l'independance de la presse
  • France 24 France · Centre · Public · France Medias Monde (French state holding)
  • Al-Monitor United States · Centre · Jamal Daniel
  • Bloomberg United States · Centre · Bloomberg L.P. (Michael Bloomberg)
  • The Daily Star Bangladesh · Centre · Mediaworld Ltd
  • South China Morning Post Hong Kong · Centre-right · Alibaba Group
  • Telex Hungary · Centre · Reader-funded, staff-owned
  • The Indian Express India · Centre · Indian Express Group (Goenka family)
  • ANSA Italy · Centre · Publisher cooperative
  • The Japan Times Japan · Centre · News2u Holdings
  • Al Jazeera Qatar · Centre-left · State-affiliated · Qatari government funded
  • The Straits Times Singapore · Centre-right · State-affiliated · SPH Media Trust; management shares under the NPPA
  • El Pais Spain · Centre-left · Grupo PRISA

What the colours mean

  • Left
  • Centre-left
  • Centre
  • Centre-right
  • Right
  • A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.

Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.

Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.

The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.

Iran has announced that it is in the final stages of reaching an agreement with Oman regarding a new shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei stated that the two nations have agreed on the geographical coordinates for the route. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi added that the arrangement would be temporary, potentially remaining open for two to four months. Iran has maintained a near total closure of the strait since February 28, when the United States and Israel launched strikes against the country. This waterway typically carries about 20 percent of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas.

Reports from Reuters and other sources indicate that the proposed deal would grant Iran control over ships entering the Persian Gulf, which would represent a significant shift in regional power. Disagreements persist regarding the collection of fees. A senior Iranian official cited by Reuters said Tehran is seeking fees between 5 percent and 7 percent of cargo value, while Oman is discussing 3 percent and the United States wants no fees. Iran has also warned that the agreement does not guarantee safe navigation as long as the United States maintains its naval blockade of Iranian ports.

U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that a deal to reopen the strait is imminent and warned that Iran would be hit very hard if it did not open soon. However, Iran has denied negotiating directly with Washington. Vice President JD Vance noted that negotiations are complicated by divisions within the Iranian leadership. Meanwhile, the UKMTO reported that a tanker heard explosions while crossing the strait on Thursday, and Houthi forces claimed to have struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Outlets with a center lean generally present the situation as a diplomatic process with competing demands. Center left sources emphasize the precariousness of the security situation and the potential for the deal to be a strategic victory for Tehran. Center right sources frame the event as Iran attempting to leverage its position to dictate terms to a pressured U.S. administration.

How each side framed it

Centre-left
Highlighted the strategic advantage Iran gained and the continued insecurity of the waterway.
Centre
Presented the event as a diplomatic negotiation with conflicting demands between the U.S. and Iran.
Centre-right
Framed the situation as Iran attempting to dictate terms to a U.S. administration under political and military pressure.

Sources

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.