A US official criticized Iran on Tuesday, telling the Reuters news agency that the Islamic Republic is making “unreasonable demands" that have been rejected by Oman and the United States.
The official stressed that there would be no tolls and no fees for passage through the Strait of Hormuz as part of a deal being discussed in relation to the waterway.
Earlier on Tuesday, a Gulf source told Reuters that Oman has won the backing of Gulf states for a proposal to establish a joint regional mechanism with Iran to manage the Strait of Hormuz through voluntary user fees.
The proposal was presented to Iranian officials in Tehran over the weekend. Under the plan, Iran would share responsibility for managing the strategic waterway rather than exercising sole control.
Management of the Strait of Hormuz has become a key issue in efforts to end the war with Iran. Before the conflict, the waterway carried about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.
Iran has said the strait cannot return to the conditions that existed before the war, when vessels passed freely. Gulf states, however, oppose any requirement that ships pay mandatory fees to Iran.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Iran had “tapped everyone along" for nearly five decades, but that “very friendly negotiations" are currently taking place between Washington and Tehran.
Earlier, Trump spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One and said Iran had requested negotiations after suffering heavy damage from US military action.
“They want to meet, and we're meeting. We'll see what happens. There's a chance we can make a deal," said the President, who added that Iran’s request for talks resulted from US pressure.
“Without what we did, they wouldn't even be talking to us," he said. “They requested a meeting through their surrogates and directly and we're meeting."
Asked about his patience with Iran, Trump replied: “I have plenty of time. The whole shoreline is wiped out. The Strait is in very good shape. And we're talking right now."
“We're having good talks, so we'll see what happens. I think there's a good chance something could happen. And if it doesn't, we go back to doing what we were doing two days ago."