The Sultanate of Oman announced the postponement of a meeting between the foreign ministers of Iran and the Gulf states regarding the future of the Strait of Hormuz, which is now at the heart of the conflict between Washington and Tehran, a conflict that has kept this strategically important waterway closed for months.
“It was decided to postpone” the meeting that was scheduled to take place in Salalah today [Monday] “in order to create the appropriate conditions for a constructive dialogue,” reported Oman’s official news agency, ONA.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The Houthis attacked airports in Saudi Arabia
The Iranian news agency IRNA reported that the decision to postpone the meeting was made jointly by Tehran and Muscat.
“We remain committed to facilitating a dialogue that will contribute to stability and lasting cooperation in our region,” noted Oman’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bandar Al-Busaidi, noting that the postponement was decided in the “interest” of building “consensus.”
Tehran had announced this summit, noting that Gulf states—without specifying which ones—and Iraq would participate. However, no country in the region confirmed its participation, and Bahrain made it clear that it would not be sending anyone.
Donald Trump, for his part, said he “doesn’t give a damn” about the meeting. “It’s their business,” the U.S. president declared.
Oman and Iran are the two countries flanking this strait, through which about 20% of the hydrocarbons consumed globally passed before the war broke out on February 28, triggered by the U.S.-Israeli attack against the Islamic Republic.
In retaliation, Iran began targeting wealthy oil-producing Gulf states—allies of the U.S.—and claimed full control of the strait.
A preliminary agreement signed in June by Washington and Tehran fell apart, and both sides hold diametrically opposed views on the issue of the Strait of Hormuz.shattered into a thousand pieces,” and the two sides hold diametrically opposed views on the Hormuz issue. And, as the exchange of blows has recently resumed after months of relative calm, oil prices once again surpassed the symbolic threshold of $100 per barrel on international markets last week.
The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Sultanate of Oman, which maintain good relations despite the war, have been discussing for months how to manage the Strait, through which transit was free and unrestricted before the armed conflict broke out.
Iran now requires ships to obtain its permission to pass through, citing reasons of security and national sovereignty, and it intends to establish a mechanism through which fees will be charged to each vessel for services provided.
Any ships that attempt to cross without its permission are often targeted by Iran, while the U.S. periodically launches airstrikes along the Iranian coast to challenge its control of the sea lane and has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports in the Gulf.
Ansar Allah, a Yemeni movement aligned with Tehran, which announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia in July and targeted its oil tankers, took control last week of the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb Strait, through which traffic to and from the Suez Canal passes.
With the Strait of Hormuz, on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula, remaining de facto closed, the kingdom—the world’s largest exporter of crude oil—is now under siege.
Source: KYPE
