Iran and Gulf Nations Set for Oman Talks on Strait of Hormuz Amid Ongoing Blockade

Iran has announced that a meeting between Iraq and Gulf countries will take place in Oman on Monday to discuss the Strait of Hormuz, which remains under Tehran’s blockade amid the ongoing diplomatic deadlock with the United States.

Global energy supplies have faced disruptions due to the blockade, heavily impacting nations worldwide and particularly hitting Gulf countries that rely on oil and gas for the vast majority of their budgets. In a statement on Friday, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that the meeting aims to “promote better understanding among the countries of the region and help strengthen shared regional security”. However, Bahrain, a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), announced it will not participate.

Bahrain has experienced the brunt of Iranian attacks since the US and Israel launched the war on Iran in February. On Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, told Al Jazeera that the gathering is “a sign of Iran’s good intention because we have said all along that the security of the region must be guaranteed by the countries of the region, without intervention by the foreigners, without intervention by the outside powers”.

Baghaei further noted that Tehran would brief the delegations about the results of consultations with Oman regarding the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that Tehran’s expected agreement with Muscat to govern the Strait of Hormuz will not trigger a reopening of the waterway. Araghchi stated that while Iran will provide participating countries with details of the agreement and new route maps, the pact does not signal any reopening, as Tehran still expects the US to honour the commitments of the June memorandum of understanding.

Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Saturday that the kingdom will not participate, emphasizing that regional security “cannot be preserved through a policy of appeasement” and calling for Hormuz to be open without discrimination. Bahrain also noted it will not join any collective meeting that includes Iran before the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries, having cut ties in 2016.

Indirect talks mediated by Oman continue among regional actors regarding safe passage and temporary shipping lanes, even as attacks on commercial vessels highlight ongoing dangers in the waterway, through which a fifth of global oil and gas passes. Top officials, including Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, have engaged in calls and visits to de-escalate tensions.

Daily shipping traffic through the strait has plummeted by about 95 percent since the start of the war, dropping from a pre-war average of roughly 130–140 ships per day down to about five to seven vessels. Incidents continued on Sunday, with the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reporting a vessel struck by an unknown projectile, alongside an attack on an Iranian commercial vessel near Qeshm Island that left at least one person dead and four others wounded, as reported by Qeshm Governor Hossein Amir Teymouri.