Muscat/Salalah, 14 September (H.S.): A proposed regional meeting between Iran and Gulf countries over a new maritime route through the Strait of Hormuz has been postponed. The decision came after Bahrain declined to participate in proposed collective ministerial-level talks with Iran ahead of the meeting scheduled to be held in Salalah, Oman.

According to Türkiye’s state-run Anadolu Agency, Oman’s Foreign Ministry said late Sunday that the meeting had been postponed until a later date to create the “right atmosphere for constructive dialogue”. No new date has yet been announced.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on social media platform X that the meeting had been postponed to facilitate regional consensus. He said Oman remained committed to promoting dialogue aimed at strengthening stability and long-term cooperation in the region.

Before the postponement, Bahrain had declined to participate in the proposed collective ministerial meeting with Iran. Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry said Manama would not take part in such a multilateral meeting with Tehran until diplomatic relations between the two countries are restored.

Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait were expected to participate in the proposed meeting.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the primary, and effectively the only, item on the meeting’s agenda was the arrangement of a new maritime route through the Strait of Hormuz.

According to Araghchi, Iran and Oman have finalised an agreement defining the new maritime route. The two countries have also issued a joint statement containing details of the route’s map and operational arrangements. He clarified that the agreement with Oman does not amount to a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy and maritime trade corridors. Concerns among Gulf countries over the safety and movement of vessels through the waterway have increased amid heightened military tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran.

Iran had previously targeted several locations believed to be linked to US military facilities in Bahrain, including Isa Air Base. Tehran described the attacks as a response to US strikes on Iranian targets.

Against this backdrop, Bahrain’s decision to stay away from collective talks with Iran, followed by Oman’s decision to postpone the meeting, is being viewed as a significant development for regional diplomacy.

For now, Oman has not officially announced a new date for the meeting or provided a specific reason for the postponement beyond the stated objective of creating conditions conducive to constructive dialogue.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar