The Oman-Iran joint working group on Hormuz navigation is exactly the kind of structured diplomacy the region needs. Treating the strait as a shared responsibility rather than a flashpoint moves the conversation from threats to practical administration. The Islamabad MOU framework, backed by Oman's quiet mediation, gives global shipping markets a real path toward predictability and stability.
Letting Iran define "maritime services" in Hormuz is surrendering a bedrock principle of international law for nothing tangible in return. Hormuz is a natural international strait — not a canal, nor a toll road — and no coastal geography grants Iran the right to invoice global shipping. Normalizing any fee regime hands every chokepoint state on earth a blueprint for coercive monetization of critical trade routes.
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