Iran and Gulf nations are scheduled to meet in Salalah, Oman, on the 14th local time to discuss solutions regarding navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, the UK's Financial Times reported.

According to the report, the meeting, arranged through Oman's mediation, will be attended by the foreign ministers of Iran and the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), including Oman.

This marks the first time high-level officials from the six GCC nations and Iran have gathered in one place since the outbreak of the Iran war in February.

The Iranian government has also confirmed the meeting's convening.

In a statement released today, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said, "A meeting will be held in Oman on the 14th with the participation of Iran, Iraq, and other Persian Gulf coastal states," adding, "We plan to discuss and exchange views on regional issues as well as the results of Iran-Oman negotiations regarding the designation of safe routes for commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz."

Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, stated, "The initiative to hold a meeting of foreign ministers of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman coastal states is an important step forward in relation to Iran's efforts to build trust and cooperation among regional countries, free from the harmful and divisive interference of extra-regional actors."

Baghaei also recalled the agreement reached between Iran and Oman concerning temporary shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, emphasizing that Iran is dedicated to efforts to ensure the safety of vessel navigation in the strait.

However, he added, "As long as aggressive actions and illegal interventions, including U.S. maritime blockades and economic warfare, continue, the safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz cannot be guaranteed."

After the U.S.-Iran ceasefire memorandum of understanding agreed upon in June effectively collapsed, the United States pivoted toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz through military and economic pressure, while Iran and Oman continued negotiations to establish temporary navigation routes.

In late last month, the two countries announced that they had provisionally agreed on a route where vessels entering the Persian Gulf would pass through Iranian territorial waters, while those exiting would use Omani territorial waters.

As oil-producing GCC nations suffer severe economic blows from the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz—their vital crude oil transport route—they appear to have agreed to direct talks with Iran, having concluded that U.S. pressure alone will not reopen the strait in the short term.

Although they suffered damage from Iranian airstrikes, failing to resolve hostile relations with Iran could undermine not only their crude oil exports but also their prosperity models built on attracting foreign capital and talent.

In essence, they have determined that they can no longer maintain the current status quo from an economic and security standpoint.

One related source told the FT, "The goal of Iran and Oman is to bring the GCC on board (with the Strait of Hormuz negotiations) and thereby pressure the United States to lift its maritime blockade against Iran," adding, "Meanwhile, GCC countries want to secure vessel navigation while making it clear that it is a provisional agreement."

Oman, as a coastal state of the Strait of Hormuz facing Iran, has maintained a dialogue channel with Iran and worked to restore free navigation, but Iran seeks to secure control over the strait by requiring vessels to obtain Iranian navigation permits even if it is free of charge.

Furthermore, Iran maintains its stance that even if a provisional agreement regarding navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is finalized, the full opening of the strait must be predicated on concessions from the U.S., such as the lifting of the maritime blockade, permission for crude oil exports, and access to frozen assets.

This implies that even if positive results emerge from the meeting between the GCC and Iran on the 14th, it could end up as a symbolic diplomatic event for easing tensions unless there is a shift in the U.S. position.

While mediator nations like Qatar and Oman are busy trying to revive U.S.-Iran negotiations, the situation is becoming further strained as the pro-Iranian Houthi movement in Yemen intensifies its offensive to control the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance of the Red Sea.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)