Shah Reza Pahlavi of Iran and Sutan Qaboos, ruler of Oman in 1968. jointly proposed the Traffic Separation Scheme in the Strait of Hormuz: Tehran and Muscat nowadays discuss a lot about Hormuz
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The US military-naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is “largely still in place,” US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said in Singapore on Saturday, without specifying exactly what that “largely” covers. (https://thehill.com/policy/international/5902453-pete-hegseth-iran-war-naval-blockade-strait-of-hormuz/).
As things stand on the ground, the US military-naval blockade of Iranian ports, imposed on April 13th , these days does not seem to be focused on the port of Jask on the coast of the Gulf of Oman. By the way, the port of Jask, about 95 miles east of Hormuz, is Iran’s only port on the Indian Ocean. Since mid-April, news has been appearing that Iran is delivering barrels through the Golestan-Jask oil pipeline (on the map) to that strategic port in Hormozghan province, for export to customers in Asia. (https://iranwire.com/en/news/152621-oil-loading-begins-at-jask-to-bypass-the-strait-of-hormuz/).
Iranian oil, the Iranian oil pipeline, the Iranian port of Jask… until yesterday (May 31st ) it seemed like a solo action by a rather isolated actor in the Persian Gulf region.
And then, on Sunday, two ferries each loaded with eight imported cars arrived in the port of Jusk from the direction of Oman. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/insight/iran-opens-jask-port-to-vehicle-imports-despite-us-blockade/gm-GM8D706D9E?gemSnapshotKey=GM8D706D9E-snapshot-1&uxmode=ruby.
The test—shipping in front of the eyes of the US Navy?! Some observers assessed that “Iran is defying the US blockade with the first shipment of vehicles through the port of Jask”.
The viewing angle can be different.
For example, that official Muscat, when it comes to cooperation with Tehran, has a different opinion in the Persian Gulf region. By the way Tehran and Muscat these days conduct frequent consultations on issues of importance for the regulation of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, which does not meet Washington’s excessive understanding. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/27/donald-trump-oman-threat-strait-hormuz
It is not known to many that as early as in 1968. Shah Reza Pahlavi of Iran and Sutan Qaboos, ruler of Oman, jointly proposed the Traffic Separation Scheme in the Strait of Hormuz (TSS). (https://houseofsaud.com/oman-never-signed-that-was-the-point/).
That joint Pahlavi-Qaboos initiative was accepted in the same year by the UN agency IMO (International Maritime Organization based in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia). The long-ago agreement between the two former rulers of Iran and Oman—TSS has been officially in force since 1975 until today.
From there, it may be understandable why Oman, the other day, refused to join the proposal of the five remaining members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to condemn Iran at the International Maritime Agency for “unilaterally assuming the authority of sovereign administration”.
“Whatever your opinion is about Iran, this war is not their making ,” said Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi (https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-not-their-making-omani-foreign-minister-says-iran).
Hence probably the” car-ferry” to Jusk.
