Iran and Oman Finalise Hormuz Draft as U.S. Lifts Selected Sanctions: Confidence-Building—or Two Unrelated Moves?
Iran says a draft maritime agreement with Oman has reached final review, while AP reports negotiators await final Iranian approval. Separately, the U.S. removed Fly Baghdad, Iraq Express and two aircraft from sanctions lists, but Treasury says the delistings are not part of Iran negotiations.
Iran and Oman appear to be close to finalising the technical framework for restoring commercial navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei says the two sides have agreed on geographical coordinates for shipping routes and examined technical, legal, security and environmental issues.
He says a joint statement is in its final drafting and review stage unless outside actors obstruct the process.
Associated Press reporting similarly says Iranian and Omani negotiators have finalised a draft and are waiting for final approval within Iran’s leadership.
This is meaningful progress.
It is not yet proof that normal shipping will resume immediately.
The draft reportedly involves coordinated routes through Iranian and Omani waters.
The deeper dispute concerns authority.
Washington insists Iran cannot control international passage.
Tehran insists that Iran and Oman, as coastal states, have legitimate roles in managing navigation.
A technically elegant traffic plan can therefore collapse over political wording.
At the same time, the U.S. Treasury removed sanctions on several entities previously linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard network.
Fly Baghdad Airlines, Iraq Express and two Boeing aircraft were removed from the Specially Designated Nationals list.
Because this happened during Hormuz negotiations, social media immediately described it as sanctions relief offered to Iran.
Treasury says otherwise.
A Treasury official told Reuters the removals reflected significant behavioural changes by the airline and were not connected to current negotiations with Iran.
The broader U.S. sanctions programme remains in force.
That distinction should be preserved.
Sanctions lists are not permanent criminal sentences.
OFAC can remove an entity when ownership changes, prohibited conduct ends or compliance conditions are met.
Delisting can occur during a diplomatic crisis without being part of the diplomatic bargain.
The timing still matters politically.
Iran can portray the removals as evidence that American pressure is easing.
Washington can insist its sanctions system rewards behavioural change independently.
Markets may interpret either narrative as a signal.
Fly Baghdad was sanctioned in 2024 for alleged support to Iran’s Quds Force and militia networks.
Removing it suggests U.S. officials believe the conduct that justified designation has changed sufficiently.
Treasury has not publicly detailed all the underlying evidence.
That makes independent evaluation difficult.
The Hormuz draft is more strategically important.
Commercial shipping needs clear coordinates, mine-clearing procedures, radio protocols and rules for emergencies.
Insurers need confidence that vessels will not be stopped or attacked.
Navies need to know where military patrols can operate without creating accidental confrontation.
Oman is well placed to mediate because it shares the strait and maintains working relations with both Iran and the United States.
The biggest obstacle may be domestic Iranian politics.
President Masoud Pezeshkian and diplomatic officials appear more willing to compromise than some military and hardline factions.
Final approval from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and the Supreme National Security Council is therefore critical.
Even after approval, implementation could fail over one incident.
A tanker strike, U.S. interdiction or Houthi attack could trigger another round of accusations.
The first vessels through the new route will become a test of whether paper guarantees mean anything.
The U.S. sanctions removals may help the atmosphere even if they are officially unrelated.
Diplomacy often advances through signals that governments deny are linked.
That does not mean every administrative delisting is a secret concession.
The open question is whether the Hormuz draft becomes the first durable mechanism to reduce the war—or whether technical agreement on coordinates collapses when Washington and Tehran return to the unresolved political argument over who ultimately controls the gate.