AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The Strait of Hormuz, as the world's vital energy artery, is not only a maritime passage but also the scene of confrontation between two opposing security doctrines; Tehran's effort to establish indigenous security and eliminate foreign intervention is clearly evident against Washington's strategy to maintain military hegemony under the pretext of international stability.
In the meantime, Oman's mediatory role in preventing the escalation of current tensions is in the spotlight, although this role faces a structural deadlock in transitioning from crisis management to sustainable stability and, despite its technical effectiveness, is still grappling with the influence of extra-regional powers.
In this context, Zaher Al-Mahrouqi, an Omani writer and political analyst, in an interview with ABNA, examined the process of technical negotiations on maritime navigation arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz and, more importantly, reaching a desirable and local security model away from the shadow of American military presence.
Oman's Negotiations: A "Safety Valve" in the Hormuz Crisis
The Omani analyst, referring to the difference in views between Iran and America on Persian Gulf security, considered the Tehran-Muscat negotiations a "safety valve" for managing current tensions and said Washington has failed in its attempt to limit the capacity of Oman and Iran to turn the security of the Strait of Hormuz into a lever for political bargaining.
Zaher Al-Mahrouqi, in assessing the process of technical negotiations on navigation arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz, emphasized that the Iran-Oman talks have so far mostly functioned at the level of crisis management and creating a communication channel to prevent the escalation of tensions and have not yet reached the necessary foundations for the formation of a sustainable security model in the region.
According to him, the root of this limitation must be sought in the fundamental difference between two security approaches; Tehran emphasizes the creation of a regional security system centered on regional countries and without the presence of foreign powers, while Washington and some regional countries still rely on the American military presence and international coalitions as the backbone of Persian Gulf security.
Al-Mahrouqi believes this very gap has caused the Tehran-Muscat understandings in the current circumstances to remain largely limited to technical and temporary agreements and has reduced their capacity to become a comprehensive regional security framework.
Hormuz; Beyond a Shipping Route
The Omani analyst, referring to the position of the Strait of Hormuz in world energy security, said Iran and Oman's diplomatic initiatives have been effective in creating monitoring mechanisms and reducing the possibility of unwanted conflicts on the ground, but they have not yet been able to end the role of extra-regional powers in the security of this waterway.
He added, "Iran does not accept the American military presence in the region's security, while some regional countries still consider it necessary to guarantee the security of energy resources and international freedom of navigation." According to him, this very difference has caused the management of the Strait of Hormuz security in the current circumstances to proceed at a cautious and regional level, without an independent and sustainable security mechanism having been formed.
Al-Mahrouqi also described Oman's approach in the current circumstances as a "safety valve" and a "buffer zone" between the conflicting parties and said this model has been successful in crisis management, but moving beyond the tension control stage to comprehensive security stability requires the creation of a multilateral framework with the participation of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
According to him, achieving such a framework requires agreement on technical and security arrangements consistent with international maritime law, and technical issues related to navigation and the security of the waterway must be separated from complex and contentious issues such as the nuclear program and ballistic missiles.
Hormuz in the Equation of Pressure on Iran
The Omani analyst went on to consider the Strait of Hormuz as one of the important elements in the equation of political and economic pressure on Iran and said Tehran is trying to link maritime security with the issue of lifting economic sanctions, while America is trying to limit the Hormuz file to a purely technical issue about ship traffic and maritime corridors.
Al-Mahrouqi added, "Iran seeks to link maritime security with the file of lifting economic sanctions, but the US government, through negotiations with Muscat, is merely seeking to regulate ship traffic and tactical corridors."
He, at the same time, stated that Washington has failed in its attempt to exert pressure on Oman with the aim of depriving Tehran of the capacity to turn the security of the Strait of Hormuz into a broader political bargaining tool.
America's Effort to Maintain Its Role in Persian Gulf Security
Al-Mahrouqi, regarding Washington's goal in monitoring the process of Iran-Oman negotiations, also said, "America is trying to prevent the formation of regional arrangements that would marginalize its role as the guarantor of energy security in the region."
In his view, Washington in the short term seeks to prevent the formation of a completely indigenous security system in the Persian Gulf; however, the trend of developments is moving toward the formation of a "hybrid security system."
He explained that in such a model, executive details and field arrangements will be managed through coordination among Iran, Oman, and the Persian Gulf littoral states, but America and other international powers will still try to keep the strategic umbrella and military balances at a higher level in their own hands.
On this basis, the Strait of Hormuz is not merely the subject of a technical discussion about maritime navigation; rather, it has become an arena for testing two different approaches: indigenous and regional security without reliance on foreign powers, versus the continuation of America's military role in the Persian Gulf security structure.
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