Tehran finalizing deal with Oman for temporary, safe route through Strait of Hormuz

Iran said Monday that it's finalizing an agreement with Oman over a "temporary, safe route" through the Strait of Hormuz. Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the agreement will probably be registered with the International Maritime Organization over the coming days.

Iran claims control over the strait and has opposed a secondary U.N-backed route in the southern part of the strait, off the coast of Oman. But it says it's been discussing a temporary safe route with Muscat for a while now.

Following the war that started late February when the U.S and Israel attacked Iran, Tehran has attempted to close the strait, crucial to global oil and natural gas shipments, to inflict economic pain on Washington.

In response the U.S is enfocing a naval blockade on Iranian ports, and have been escorting tankers through the strait despite Iran's attempts to shoot at them. Baghaei also called a draft resolution by th U.S and its European allies a sign of "bad faith" and an attempt aimed at escalating the situation.

The United States, Britain, France and Germany have drafted a resolution for possible consideration by the Board of Governors of the U.N. nuclear watchdog that seeks to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council for failure to comply with its nuclear nonproliferation obligations, diplomats say.

Under those obligations, which are part of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran is legally bound to declare all nuclear material and activities and allow inspectors of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency to verify that none of it is being diverted from peaceful uses.

The diplomatic move has been under consideration since June 2025 when the IAEA board found Iran officially in noncompliance with its nonproliferation obligations for the first time in 20 years — one day before the U.S. and Israel launched attacks against Iran’s nuclear sites.

The possible referral of Iran to the U.N. Security Council shifts the responsibility to a higher authority that is able to enact further legally binding measures, including sanctions or asset freezes.