NEW YORK, September 3. /TASS/. Oman has turned down Iran’s proposal to jointly collect service fees from ships that pass through the Strait of Hormuz, The New York Post reported, citing a senior regional official.
According to the official, in a bid to avoid potential quarrels with US President Donald Trump, Muscat rejected even the idea of voluntary fees to be used to ensure security and environmental protection in the Strait of Hormuz.
On August 17, Trump expressed dissatisfaction with Oman’s actions and threatened to "bomb the hell out of" the sultanate if it stood in the way of resolving the conflict between Iran and the United States. According to Associated Press, the US administration believes that the Omani authorities made too many concessions in negotiations with Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz. In particular, Washington is dissatisfied with an agreement on joint control by the two countries over entry to and exit from the Strait of Hormuz, as well as on collecting transit fees from shipowners.