Omani Official Announces Indefinite Postponement of Iran-Gulf Talks on Opening the Strait of Hormuz Without US

Vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of the port city of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on September 5, 2026. Gulf diplomats and Iranian officials were set to meet Monday to discuss an Omani plan for reopening the Strait of Hormuz to regular tanker traffic, a conversation that would have happened without a critical player: the United States. But, as news of the meeting circulated on Sunday, it was indefinitely postponed, according to the Omani foreign minister.

“In the interests of consensus the regional meeting set for tomorrow in Salalah has been postponed,” Badr Albusaidi, the foreign minister, wrote in an X post. “We remain committed to fostering dialogue that supports stability and lasting cooperation in our region.”

Despite shipping traffic remaining depressed, President Donald Trump has insisted the state of the waterway is acceptable for now with the US military escorting oil tankers. The meeting that was scheduled for Monday would have underscored that — despite active efforts to develop alternative corridors for passage through the strait — countries in the region are unwilling to accept the status quo as the new normal.

After months of private discussions on a complicated possible legal framework to reopen the strait that could allow Iran and Oman to collect fees, diplomats hoped the gathering could create some momentum for a deal. “There is no imminent breakthrough expected, but resolving the strait issue is the most pressing issue, so we need to start somewhere,” a regional source said.

Saudi Arabia submitted amendments because it had concerns that the proposed language could effectively establish a new status quo that would not be acceptable to it or the other Gulf Cooperation Council states. The possibility of Iranian tolls is still widely rejected, but there is a willingness to consider voluntary contributions for directing passage through the strait, the sources said.

The Omani legal framework includes voluntary payment for providing navigational safety and environmental protection, according to three sources familiar with the plans. Trump administration officials have privately told those in the Gulf region that they want to refocus any future US-Iran negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program and not reopening the strait, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

“I’m not trying to force Iran to the bargaining table,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday night, after Iran retaliated following US strikes. “I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing.”

One goal for the Monday meeting was to agree on maps for routes going through the strait, one of the sources said. Still, the likelihood of the Gulf Corporation Council countries and Iran getting behind a comprehensive plan to open the waterway would be virtually impossible without the US at the table.