Iran says a meeting between Iraq and the Gulf countries will be held in Oman on Monday to discuss the Strait of Hormuz, which remains under Tehran’s blockade amid the diplomatic deadlock with the United States. Global energy supplies have been disrupted due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, impacting countries around the world. The blockade has particularly affected Gulf countries, which depend on oil and gas for vast majority of their budgets.
In a statement on Friday, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the meeting is intended to “promote better understanding among the countries of the region and help strengthen shared regional security”. But Bahrain, a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), has said it will not participate in the planned meeting. Bahrain has borne the brunt of Iranian attacks since the US and Israel launched the war on Iran in February.
So what’s behind the meeting and why won’t Bahrain participate? On Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, told Al Jazeera that the meeting 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”. Gulf nations have accused Tehran of attacking civilian targets, including airports and desalination plants.
Baghaei added that Tehran would “brief the delegations about the results of the Iran and Oman consultations regarding the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz”. Moreover, 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. In comments to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Araghchi said Iran will “provide the participating countries with the details of the agreement with Oman and the maps related to the new route” during the meeting.
But the agreement does not “in any way” signal that the strait will reopen, with Tehran still expecting the US to honour the commitments of the June 60-day memorandum of understanding signed in June, he said. The MoU collapsed in July after the US tried to push for an alternative route closer to Omani territory, drawing Iranian attacks. On Sunday, at least one person was killed and four others wounded after an Iranian commercial vessel was attacked near Qeshm Island in the strait, with attacks on ships escalating in recent weeks.
Iraq and most of the Gulf nations have not yet responded whether they will attend the planned meeting. However, Bahrain has said it will not be participating in the proposed meeting. Pointing to attacks on infrastructure across the Gulf, Bahrain said that security and stability in the region “cannot be preserved through a policy of appeasement” and called for Hormuz to be open without “discrimination, fees or permits”.
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