Tehran and Muscat delay talks, citing regional consensus need

Negotiations in Oman between Iran and Gulf Arab states have been postponed at the request of some regional countries, Iranian media have documented.

Key points

• Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi remarked on X that the gathering, scheduled for Monday, had been postponed "in the interests of consensus".
• In July, Muscat proposed a joint regional mechanism that would split control of the strait 50-50.
• It flowed largely unimpeded before Israel and the United States introduced their war on Iran on February 28, has become one of the central matters in the conflict.
• The postponement came hours after an attack on an Iranian commercial cargo vessel killed one person in the Strait of Hormuz.
• US President Donald Trump is pushing to restore shipping through the waterway to pre-war levels to bring down energy rates ahead of November's midterm elections.

Notably, the postponement came hours after an attack on an Iranian commercial cargo vessel killed one person in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's Fars news agency, quoting the director general of the Iranian foreign ministry's Gulf affairs office, remarked on Sunday the postponement "was made at the request of some countries in the region and was a joint decision by Tehran and Muscat".

"We remain committed to fostering dialogue that supports stability and lasting cooperation in our region, " Albusaidi remarked.

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 additionally 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 additionally suggested "voluntary fees" from shipping vessels that would go to both countries.

Meanwhile, the system is similar to an agreement governing the Strait of Malacca. It 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 additionally pushed for vessels to apply a route closer to the Iranian coast and has targeted ships travelling closer to the strait's southern shore. The discussions have so far failed to produce a breakthrough.

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. It flowed largely unimpeded before Israel and the United States introduced their war on Iran on February 28, has become one of the central matters in the conflict. Before the war, regarding 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 rates 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 documented that an attack off Qeshm Island, concerning 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".

Although it was not immediately clear whether it was referring to the same incident noted by Iran, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) monitor separately remarked a vessel had been hit by a projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. UKMTO remarked a severe fire had broken out and local authorities were evacuating those on board.

There was no immediate comment from the US military. It 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 administration remained defiant.

"Our individuals can't be bullied into submission. Iran won't surrender, " President Masoud Pezeshkian remarked 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.

When asked by a reporter whether the US had struck the Iranian cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz earlier on Sunday, Trump stated: "I don't want to say, " before boarding Air Force One for Washington, afterwards.

Taken together, the developments around tehran and Muscat delay talks, citing regional consensus need point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.