Oman postpones Gulf ministerial summit on Strait of Hormuz deal after regional objections

Postponement of the Salalah summit

Oman announced the postponement of a planned meeting of Persian Gulf foreign ministers scheduled for Monday, 14 September 2026, in the southern coastal city of Salalah. Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi confirmed late on the evening of 13 September 2026 that the regional gathering would not go ahead. The conference was originally arranged for Iran and Oman to present a negotiated framework addressing the prolonged standoff over the Strait of Hormuz during the ongoing Iran War. Badr al-Busaidi stated on the social media platform X that regional agreement had to precede any joint gathering.

“In the interest of consensus, the regional meeting scheduled for tomorrow in Salalah has been postponed.”

Regional fractures and objections

Regional tensions surfaced among invited governments prior to the postponement. Bahrain, which sustained heavy Iranian missile strikes during the war, announced in advance that it would boycott the Salalah meeting. According to the Iranian news agency Mehr, the other Gulf states were invited solely to be briefed on the completed terms of the agreement rather than to participate in negotiations. Saudi Arabia submitted specific modifications to the Omani and Iranian draft. Journalist Barak Ravid reported, citing a senior Gulf official, that Riyadh feared the draft wording could establish a new status quo in the strait unacceptable to Saudi Arabia and its neighbours. Furthermore, regional publication Amwaj reported that the United Arab Emirates decided not to send its foreign minister, choosing instead to dispatch a state secretary.

Strategic stakes in the Strait of Hormuz

The Strait of Hormuz has become the central flashpoint connecting Tehran and Washington throughout the military conflict. Before the war began, roughly one-fifth of the entire global oil supply transited through the waterway. In addition to crude oil, significant volumes of liquefied natural gas and agricultural fertilizer produced by Persian Gulf nations rely on passage through the strait to reach world buyers. The ongoing transport restrictions have weighed heavily on international markets and generated mounting political pressure on United States President Donald Trump. Regional governments have expressed reluctance to accept arrangements that could compromise navigation rights in the strategic shipping corridor.

Diplomatic coordination between Muscat and Tehran

Following Muscat's statement, an Iranian Foreign Ministry official confirmed to the state-run news agency Fars that Tehran and Muscat agreed jointly to delay the meeting at the request of regional partners. In his initial statement, Badr al-Busaidi emphasized that Oman continues to pursue dialogue aimed at fostering stability and lasting cooperation across the Persian Gulf. However, the Omani minister offered no alternative date or revised timeline for when the foreign ministers might reconvene. The postponement leaves diplomatic attempts to de-escalate maritime tensions around the waterway unresolved as regional states reassess the proposed terms.