Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi meets with Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi in Tehran. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters
A meeting in Oman between Gulf countries and Iran to discuss possible agreements on the Strait of Hormuz, which had been scheduled for Monday (September 14, 2026), has been postponed, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on X late Sunday (September 13, 2026).Mr. Albusaidi said the meeting had been postponed "in the interests of consensus." "We remain committed to fostering dialogue that supports stability and lasting cooperation in our region," he added.Meanwhile, Fars news agency, citing an Iranian foreign ministry official said the postponement came at the request of some regional countries in a decision jointly made by Tehran and Muscat.Iran had said Foreign Ministers from regional countries would meet in Oman to discuss efforts by Iran and Oman, located on the other side of the strait, to manage shipping on it. But theCommercial ship traffic remains low in the Strait of Hormuz as attacks continue on what was seen as an international waterway before the US and Israel launched the war on February 28.Before the meeting in Oman was postponed, only Iraq had publicly confirmed plans to attend. Bahrain had said it would not attend, citing a lack of diplomatic relations with Tehran.Since early in the war, Iran has expressed interest in having ships pay fees for transit. It has said traffic into the Persian Gulf would pass through Iranian waters, while the outbound route would pass partly through Iranian waters and partly through Oman's.There had been some optimism in the region about the planned meeting, with hope that Gulf nations might use it to assert a collective response to a war they had no part in starting. For months, they have faced Iranian attacks that Tehran has claimed target U.S. military assets on their lands.On Sunday (September 13, 2026), Iran's President said he had a "good talk" over the weekend with a top official from the United Arab Emirates on the sidelines of a global summit of leading developing nations.Mr. Pezeshkian said he met with Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed, while attending the BRICS Summit in New Delhi."We talked about issues of concern so that it's possible to put the past behind us, to look toward the future and how we can build the future together," Mr. Pezeshkian said. His comments were aired live on Iranian state television.With inputs from AP, Reuters Published - September 14, 2026 01:53 am IST
