Talks on new Hormuz route hit snag as foreign ministers' meeting postponed a day before it was set to begin

A foreign ministers' meeting that Iran and Gulf states had planned to hold to discuss a new maritime route through the Strait of Hormuz was abruptly postponed just one day before it was set to convene. Bahrain declared it would not attend, and Saudi Arabia's participation also grew uncertain, suggesting that more time was needed to bridge differences among the regional parties.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi announced around 11 p.m. Sunday (local time) on X, formerly Twitter, that "the regional meeting scheduled for Tuesday in Salalah has been postponed in order to reach consensus."

Al-Busaidi said Oman would "continue to work to facilitate dialogue that supports regional stability and sustained cooperation." He did not announce a new date for the meeting.

The meeting had originally been scheduled to take place in the southern Omani city of Salalah. Foreign ministers from Iran, Iraq and the Gulf states were to gather to discuss regional issues and the question of safe passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's Fars News Agency reported that the postponement was a joint decision by the Iranian and Omani governments. An Iranian Foreign Ministry official told Fars that some regional countries had requested the delay.

Signs of trouble had already emerged. On Saturday, Bahrain declared it would "not participate as a party in any meeting involving Iran" until diplomatic relations with Tehran were restored, citing Iran's attacks on Gulf infrastructure, among other grievances.

Saudi Arabia's attendance also became uncertain after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels recently attacked the kingdom. With negotiations over a new Hormuz route entangled in the Gulf states' broader security concerns, finding common ground among the participants proved difficult.

Iran had appeared confident the meeting would go ahead until the postponement was announced. In an interview with the London-based Arab outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said seven countries — all Gulf states except Bahrain — would attend.

Araghchi said the most important and in effect only agenda item was "the question of a new maritime route through the Strait of Hormuz." The meeting had been expected to brief participating countries on the new corridor arrangement that Iran and Oman had agreed upon and to discuss its details.

Iran's Foreign Ministry had earlier announced the meeting on Friday, saying participants would "discuss and exchange views on regional issues as well as the outcome of Iran-Oman negotiations on designating a safe route for commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz."

With the last-minute postponement, regional consultations on the new Hormuz route have been put on hold for now.