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Iran and Oman Negotiate Strait of Hormuz Access Amid Global Market Volatility

23 sources across 19 countries · 3 of them are linked to a state

Who reported this

  • Haaretz Israel · Left · Schocken family and M. DuMont Schauberg
  • The Times of Israel Israel · Centre · Seth Klarman (majority backer)
  • The Jerusalem Post Israel · Centre-right · Mirkaei Tikshoret (Eli Azur)
  • Der Spiegel Germany · Centre-left · ~50% staff-owned
  • Frankfurter Allgemeine Germany · Centre-right · FAZIT-Stiftung (foundation)
  • Al-Monitor United States · Centre · Jamal Daniel
  • Bloomberg United States · Centre · Bloomberg L.P. (Michael Bloomberg)
  • Folha de S.Paulo Brazil · Centre · Grupo Folha (Frias family)
  • La Tercera Chile · Centre-right · Copesa (Saieh family)
  • Le Monde Afrique France · Centre-left · Fonds pour l'independance de la presse
  • South China Morning Post Hong Kong · Centre-right · Alibaba Group
  • Telex Hungary · Centre · Reader-funded, staff-owned
  • Tempo English Indonesia · Centre-left · PT Tempo Inti Media
  • ANSA Italy · Centre · Publisher cooperative
  • The Japan Times Japan · Centre · News2u Holdings
  • Dawn Pakistan · Centre-left · Pakistan Herald Publications (Haroon family)
  • Philippine Daily Inquirer Philippines · Centre · Prieto family
  • 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
  • Yonhap South Korea · Centre · State-affiliated · Cooperative; statutory national agency with state subsidy
  • Neue Zuercher Zeitung Switzerland · Centre-right · Dispersed shareholders, no controlling stake
  • Taipei Times Taiwan · Centre-left · Liberty Times Group
  • Reuters United Kingdom · Centre · Thomson Reuters Corporation

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 and Oman are negotiating a deal to manage the Strait of Hormuz, with a draft proposal suggesting that Iran would bar ships from the United States and Israel and require compensation from other hostile nations. The proposed agreement comes as the waterway remains severely restricted following the start of the US Israeli war against Iran on February 28. While President Donald Trump stated that negotiations are moving along good, the US continues to maintain a naval blockade and insists on unrestricted free passage. Iranian officials have stated that a full reopening requires the lifting of the American blockade.

Shipping traffic through the strait has dwindled significantly, with data showing only 33 vessels transited from Monday to Thursday, compared to 50 in the previous week. Global oil markets have reacted sharply to the news, with Brent crude prices jumping nearly 4 percent following reports of the restrictive Iranian draft. In Brazil, Petrobras reported a doubling of profits in the first quarter affected by the war, driven by higher oil prices and record production.

Regional tensions remain high as other diplomatic and military shifts occur. Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan are reportedly signing a mutual defense pact in Jeddah to contain Iran. Meanwhile, the Houthi militants in Yemen, who are allies of Tehran, have claimed attacks on Saudi troops and a Saudi oil tanker. In Oman, an environmental crisis is unfolding as a Russian shadow fleet tanker, the Caroline Bezengi, has run aground and leaked oil over approximately 600 square kilometers.

Internal Iranian politics add complexity to the talks. Reports indicate a leadership vacuum following the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a February airstrike, with his son Mojtaba Khamenei named as successor. Analysts suggest a divide exists between an Iranian camp favoring reconstruction through agreement and an ultra conservative camp that views any deal with the US as an ideological defeat.

How each side framed it

Left
This outlet framed the emerging Gulf agreement as an unprecedented geopolitical victory for the Iranian regime.
Centre-left
These outlets emphasized the reorganization of Iran's regional allies and the environmental risks of the oil spill in Oman.
Centre
These outlets focused on the technical data of shipping traffic, the specifics of the Oman deal, and the broader geopolitical maneuvers.
Centre-right
These outlets highlighted the volatility of oil prices and the strategic implications of the proposed transit bans.

Sources

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