Details of the first Iranian-Gulf meeting on Hormuz with Iraq’s participation
Details of the first Iranian-Gulf meeting on Hormuz with Iraq’s participation
2026-09-12
Shafaq News – Special Translation
The British website “ Amwaj ” revealed details of the Gulf-Iranian meeting that will be held in Muscat in two days with the participation of Iraq, to officially announce the Iranian-Omani plan to determine the route of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, an idea that the Iranians say was proposed by the Omanis, adopted by the Saudis, and supported by the Qataris.
The British website indicated in a report, translated by Shafaq News Agency, that the Muscat Gulf-Iranian meeting on September 14 represents the first meeting of this kind since the outbreak of the Israeli-American war on Iran, and that one of the main objectives of the meeting is for Muscat and Tehran to officially reveal their agreement on a new route for ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
The British website quoted in its report what it called a “senior Iranian political source” who requested anonymity, as saying that the goal of the gathering was limited, but important. It added that “the main objective is for Iran and Oman to explain to the rest of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Iraq the agreement they reached regarding the Strait of Hormuz and the new route for ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz,” noting that the meeting, with the participation of the countries’ foreign ministers, is to officially announce the agreement between Iran and Oman.
According to the same Iranian source, as reported in the report, the idea originated in Muscat, then was adopted by Riyadh before spreading across the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. The source explained that “the initial initiative for this meeting came from Oman itself, which proposed putting forward the agreement we reached at a meeting of ministers from the region. Therefore, it is a joint initiative between Iran and Oman, while Saudi Arabia welcomed the proposal, and through pressure efforts, the other countries also announced their agreement.”
However, the report noted that attendance would not be uniform, as the UAE appeared to have confirmed its participation only at the last minute and had also lowered its level of representation.
The report quoted the source as saying, “The UAE was the last country to announce its intention to participate. Late on September 10, it became clear that their foreign minister would not be coming, and that the minister of state would attend instead.”
According to the same source, there is less certainty as to whether Bahrain and Kuwait will attend, although the current assumption is that the foreign ministers of the two countries will come, while the Iraqi foreign minister is also expected to join his counterparts in the Gulf Cooperation Council in Oman.
The report noted that the source called for caution and urged people to avoid over-interpreting the meeting itself, explaining that “it does not mean the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. This situation has its own separate conditions.”
After noting that Qatar’s role as a key mediator between Iran and the United States is not new over the past decade, and on Doha’s reliability and standing, the report said that Qatar’s current shuttle diplomacy is running parallel to, and not a replacement for, the current Omani-Iranian diplomatic track on Hormuz.
The report quoted informed Iranian sources as saying that Doha welcomes the efforts led by the Sultanate of Oman to host the meeting between the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran and Iraq, and has encouraged Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi to pursue this endeavor.
In addition to the Qatari channel, the report noted that Iran and Saudi Arabia have also maintained an active bilateral channel in recent months, operating mainly through their foreign ministers, and that one of the likely outcomes of this engagement will be a separate meeting in Amman in two days, and another meeting to be held in the Kingdom at the end of the month.
When asked about the substance of the shipping arrangement between Iran and Oman, the senior Iranian political source described it as a temporary, not a final, solution, explaining that “the middle route agreed upon with Oman is a new, separate, temporary traffic plan. This will be followed by negotiations for a permanent route.”
According to the same source, there are still unresolved questions about who will oversee the Strait of Hormuz and how the fees will be paid.
The source was quoted as saying that “the future management of the strait and maritime services, including service fees, will also be subject to further negotiations between Iran and Oman.”
Regarding whether other Gulf states would participate in talks on service fees, including at the September 14 meeting, the political source said that Tehran considers this a bilateral issue with Muscat, not a multilateral one, adding: “We will discuss the matter with them, but this is an Iranian-Omani affair,” highlighting Article 5 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
The report concluded that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states were caught in the middle of the confrontation between Iran and the United States, a situation they did not choose. This left the Gulf states with limited options, including engagement with Tehran, and demonstrated the unreliability of American security commitments under the current administration. The report further suggested that if the region were to move toward greater engagement based on realpolitik, there might be less sensitivity among the Gulf Arab states to Iranian-American conflicts.
shafaq.com
