ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iran and Oman have held several rounds of talks on managing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, discussing mechanisms to ensure safe maritime traffic while respecting the sovereign rights of the two coastal states, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Sunday.

Iranian authorities have repeatedly stressed Tehran's right to maintain control over the vital waterway in cooperation with coastal Oman, a proposition that Washington has repeatedly rejected, insisting on a greater role in overseeing the waterway and the free passage of ships.

Baghaei said the talks, held in Tehran on Friday and Saturday at the deputy foreign minister level, focused on “common principles and operational mechanisms for managing safe shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz while respecting the sovereign rights of the two coastal states.”

He added that “technical and political consultations between the two sides are continuing,” noting that “there has been no change in the traffic situation” in the Strait of Hormuz.

The fifth clause of the US-Iran agreement reached in mid-June to establish a permanent truce and reopen the Strait of Hormuz required Iran to make arrangements “using its best efforts” to ensure the free passage of commercial vessels at no cost for 60 days. It also stipulated that Iran would define future administrative measures for the strait in coordination with Oman.

However, hostilities between Tehran and Washington resumed just 21 days after the agreement was signed.

In late June, Tehran and Muscat announced the formation of a joint working group to determine future administrative arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz, including discussions on the “costs associated” with commercial transit through the waterway amid reports of a potential tolling mechanism.

Washington has repeatedly opposed any proposal to impose transit fees. In late May, US President Donald Trump said Oman “will behave just like everybody else or we'll have to blow them up,” when asked about joint Iranian-Omani control over the Strait of Hormuz.