WASHINGTON — A purported deal between Iran and Oman to control the Strait of Hormuz and share revenue from fees is “not even close to done” and would be meaningless so long as President Trump’s blockade of Iran remains in effect, a US official told The Post.
A spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed Wednesday that the two nations had agreed to terms to control the shipping bottleneck — but The Post’s source said that ill-defined terms are still believed to lack full approval from Iran’s leadership.
“The deals don’t mean anything unless we approve it. It doesn’t matter what the two of them — Iran and Oman — do. There is no deal without Trump pulling the blockade,” the official said.
A deal is “not even close to done [and] we know for a fact that this is still subject to approval within Iran,” he added.
“The last time we heard something was subject to approval… we all know what happened to it. It died.”
Trump, who has not directly commented on the reported deal, threatened earlier this month to “bomb the s–t out of” Oman if it inks a deal with Tehran to toll the strait.
How exactly the Iran-Oman deal would generate revenue remains unclear — with earlier iterations of the concept describing tolls as “service fees” to cover environmental and security costs.
The US, meanwhile, is ramping up efforts this week to squeeze Iran economically following more than a month of Trump’s renewed blockade of its ports.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday announced “Operation Economic Outcast” to pressure countries to sever business ties — as massive fuel lines formed at Iranian gas stations.
Bessent, previewing those actions, said last Thursday that “we are going to collapse this regime,” through economic pain, pointing to spiking inflation and unemployment and a collapse in the value of Iran’s currency.
“It is clear that the new sanctions are biting,” the US official told The Post, noting that fuel lines are “like two to three miles — it’s wild.”
Although peace talks have stalled, “there are so many reach outs, it’s hard to count them,” the official said.
Trump’s core demand has been that Iran agree to destroy its highly enriched uranium to prevent the building of nuclear weapons. He also has refused to entertain postwar Iranian control of the strait.
The fact that the American government believes the Oman-Iran deal still lacks formal approval in Tehran suggest the IRGC may have jumped the gun.
IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi had made international headlines telling the state-run Sepah News agency: “Agreements have been reached regarding each country’s share of the strait’s waters as well as Iran and Oman’s share of its revenues.”
Trump told reporters Thursday that the strait is “open” to all ships except those coming to or from Iran — and that he’s not eager to restart formal peace talks.
“We don’t want to speak to them. We’re not looking to meet or anything. The strait is open,” he said. “Millions and millions of barrels of oil are coming out of the strait every day. Other countries recognize that.”
