Trumps path to reopening the Strait of Hormuz may run through Oman

WASHINGTON — Iran says it isn’t negotiating with the United States — but it is talking to another country that could deliver one of President Trump’s biggest foreign policy goals: reopening the Strait of Hormuz.While Tehran publicly rejected Trump’s Sunday claim that US-Iran talks are underway, Iranian officials said they’re in intensive negotiations with neighboring Oman over the future of the narrow shipping lane that carries roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and has become the biggest flashpoint in the escalating standoff.If Muscat can broker a deal, the president could get the world’s most important shipping lane reopened without ever sitting down directly with Iran.Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei confirmed Monday that Tehran’s negotiations with Oman are focused on restoring commercial shipping through the strait.“To avoid any misunderstanding, it is important to clarify what the current negotiations are about and who they are with.We are not negotiating with the United States at this time,” he said.“Our negotiations are with Oman and are focused on reaching an understanding on a route that will ensure the safe passage of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” he added.But even if a deal is reached, Iran says it would only be temporary unless what it calls US “aggression” ends.“As long as the US mischief continues, as long as the Iranian sea siege continues, as long as the US military aggression against Iran and its allies continues, there will be no [permanent] change in … Hormuz,” Baghaei said.But reaching even a temporary agreement Iran would accept could prove challenging, as Oman has sided repeatedly with the US that the waterway should be open to all.The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Iranian and Omani negotiators have been working toward an arrangement to restart commercial shipping, although major disagreements remain over transit fees and the rules governing passage.

A US official t...