Tehran and Muscat delay talks, citing regional consensus need

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkVessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman [File: Reuters]By The Associated PressPublished On 13 Sep 202613 Sep 2026Negotiations in Oman between Iran and Gulf Arab states have been postponed at the request of some regional countries, Iranian media have reported.The postponement came hours after an attack on an Iranian commercial cargo vessel killed one person in the Strait of Hormuz.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Fighting continues between Yemen gov’t forces, Houthis: What is the latest?list 2 of 3A dignified life is a ‘distant dream’ for many Iranian families amid US warlist 3 of 3BRICS summit: What are the key takeaways?end of listIran’s Fars news agency, quoting the director general of the Iranian foreign ministry’s Gulf affairs office, said on Sunday the postponement “was made at the request of some countries in the region and was a joint decision by Tehran and Muscat”.Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on X that the meeting, scheduled for Monday, had been postponed “in the interests of consensus”.“We remain committed to fostering dialogue that supports stability and lasting cooperation in our region,” Albusaidi said.Oman has emerged as a key mediator in the war, building on its decades-long role as a trusted interlocutor with Tehran. The country is also directly affected by the dispute over navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, whose southern shore lies in Omani territory.In July, Muscat proposed a joint regional mechanism that would split control of the strait 50-50. The proposal also suggested “voluntary fees” from shipping vessels that would go to both countries.The system is similar to an agreement governing the Strait of Malacca, which asks ships transiting the strait to voluntarily contribute to fund navigation, environmental protection and search-and-rescue operations. Iran rejected the idea of a voluntary fee, insisting instead that payments should be compulsory for vessels transiting the chokepoint.Tehran has also pushed for vessels to use a route closer to the Iranian coast and has targeted ships travelling closer to the strait’s southern shore. The talks have so far failed to produce a breakthrough.Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which flowed largely unimpeded before Israel and the United States launched their war on Iran on February 28, has become one of the central issues in the conflict. Before the war, about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies were shipped from Gulf producers via this route.US President Donald Trump is pushing to restore shipping through the waterway to pre-war levels to bring down energy prices ahead of November’s midterm elections. But Tehran has shown no sign of giving up what it regards as a key source of strategic leverage.Before Albusaidi’s announcement, Iranian state media reported that an attack off Qeshm Island, about 22km (14 miles) from the port city of Bandar Abbas, had killed one person and wounded four others. The governor of Qeshm reportedly blamed the attack on a “terrorist enemy”.The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) monitor separately said a vessel had been hit by a projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, although it was not immediately clear whether it was referring to the same incident reported by Iran. UKMTO said a severe fire had broken out and local authorities were evacuating those on board.There was no immediate comment from the US military, which has struck Iranian-flagged vessels during its blockade of Iranian ports and is facing a renewed threat from Iranian ballistic missiles targeting its warships.Hours before the attack, Iran’s government remained defiant.“Our people can’t be bullied into submission. Iran won’t surrender,” President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a social media post.Trump offered a sharply different assessment on Sunday, saying Iran “wants to make a deal so bad” that “they’re calling constantly”. He spoke at his golf course in Doonbeg, Ireland, where he was attending a tournament.Later, when asked by a reporter whether the US had struck the Iranian cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz earlier on Sunday, Trump said: “I don’t want to say,” before boarding Air Force One for Washington.