FT: Gulf states, Iran set for talks on temporary Strait of Hormuz shipping deal

Foreign ministers from the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are expected to meet with their Iranian counterpart in Oman on September 14 as regional states seek to support a temporary arrangement to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and ease tensions in the strategic waterway.

The meeting, an initiative led by Oman, would be the first gathering of the GCC’s top diplomats with a senior Iranian official since the United States and Israel launched military action against Iran in February, Financial Times writes. 

The talks are scheduled to take place in the Omani coastal city of Salalah, according to two people briefed on the matter. One source said details were still being finalised, but several countries had confirmed their participation and the meeting was expected to proceed.

Iran and Oman said more than two weeks ago that they were finalising a temporary arrangement under which vessels would enter the Strait of Hormuz through Iranian waters and exit primarily through Omani territory.

However, diplomats cautioned that a full reopening of the waterway would ultimately require an agreement between the United States and Iran.

The proposed meeting highlights growing regional concern over the need to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and reduce hostilities between Washington and Tehran. The waterway is a critical artery for global energy shipments.

“For Iran and Oman it is about getting the GCC on board to try and use that to get the US to lift its blockade on Iranian ports,” said one of the people briefed on the matter.

Gulf states, meanwhile, want assurances that “whatever is agreed is temporary and they are able to get ships in and out”.

The GCC comprises Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have maintained diplomatic channels with Iran despite Iranian attacks against the two countries.