The regional meeting to discuss a proposed new sea route through the Strait of Hormuz was postponed by Oman. No new date was announced for the meeting, which was expected to take place on Monday in Salalah, in the country's south.
Oman's Foreign Ministry said the decision was intended to help create conditions conducive to constructive dialogue. The ministry said it wanted the talks to serve sustainable agreements that would strengthen regional security and stability, as well as the people of the region's expectations for cooperation and peace.
Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi also announced that the meeting had been postponed to facilitate consensus. Albusaidi reaffirmed his commitment to continuing dialogue that supports regional stability and lasting cooperation.
Albusaidi's post featured the flags of Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. These countries were expected to attend the meeting.
Bahrain rejects joint meeting with Iran
Oman's postponement came a day after Bahrain announced that it would not attend a proposed regional ministerial meeting that would also include Iran. Bahrain's Foreign Ministry said it would not participate in a joint ministerial meeting with Iran until diplomatic relations between the two countries were restored.
Bahrain made the announcement after reports of a ministerial meeting planned to discuss developments in the Strait of Hormuz.
New sea route was at the center of the agenda
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the meeting was planned to be hosted by Oman at the foreign-minister level, with the participation of eight countries bordering the Gulf.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the meeting's sole agenda item was the new sea route in the Strait of Hormuz. Araghchi said Iran and Oman had completed an agreement covering arrangements related to the route, maps and a joint statement.
Araghchi stressed that the agreement reached with Oman did not mean the Strait of Hormuz was being reopened.
Regional tensions form the backdrop to the meeting
Bahrain was among the Gulf countries targeted by Iran during tensions between Iran and the United States. Iran had previously announced that it struck facilities and the Isa Air Base in Bahrain, which it said were linked to US forces, in retaliation for US attacks on Iranian targets.
After the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran in February, Tehran responded against Israel and US military targets in the region. The United States and Iran signed the Islamabad Memorandum in June under the mediation of Pakistan and Qatar, but implementation of the memorandum halted because of disputes over the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States resumed military attacks on Iran in August, while Iran targeted US military assets in some Arab countries that maintain close relations with Washington.
