However, there are also several well-established facts that deserve attention:
(1) According to recent research, while the 2026 blockade of the Strait inflicted enormous economic damage on the Gulf states, Oman was affected very little and, in fact, reportedly benefited economically from the wartime surge in demand.
(2) Although Iran has signed the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), it has never formally ratified it. Oman, by contrast, ratified UNCLOS in 1989. Nevertheless, Oman does not recognize the Strait of Hormuz as an "international strait" and instead asserts full sovereign authority over its territorial waters.
■ Even if Iran claims exclusive sovereignty over its territorial sea and attempts to obstruct innocent passage by laying naval mines or using drones and missiles, a complete blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would be impossible if most of the deep-water shipping lane used by large commercial vessels and oil tankers lies within Omani territorial waters.
■ Oman ratified UNCLOS in 1989 and therefore bears a clear obligation to recognize and respect the right of transit passage through international straits.
■ If Oman simply complied with international law governing transit passage, Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz could not be effectively enforced.
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However, there are also several well-established facts that deserve attention:
(1) According to recent research, while the 2026 blockade of the Strait inflicted enormous economic damage on the Gulf states, Oman was affected very little and, in fact, reportedly benefited economically from the wartime surge in demand.
(2) Although Iran has signed the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), it has never formally ratified it. Oman, by contrast, ratified UNCLOS in 1989. Nevertheless, Oman does not recognize the Strait of Hormuz as an "international strait" and instead asserts full sovereign authority over its territorial waters.
■ Even if Iran claims exclusive sovereignty over its territorial sea and attempts to obstruct innocent passage by laying naval mines or using drones and missiles, a complete blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would be impossible if most of the deep-water shipping lane used by large commercial vessels and oil tankers lies within Omani territorial waters.
https://gyazo.com/97eaa37139f1c15a56b183f430d1c046
■ Oman ratified UNCLOS in 1989 and therefore bears a clear obligation to recognize and respect the right of transit passage through international straits.
■ If Oman simply complied with international law governing transit passage, Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz could not be effectively enforced.