{"id":3543,"date":"2026-09-13T14:33:04","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T14:33:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=3543"},"modified":"2026-09-13T14:33:04","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T14:33:04","slug":"iran-gcc-summit-whats-behind-the-meeting-why-is-bahrain-not-attending-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=3543","title":{"rendered":"Iran-GCC summit: What\u2019s behind the meeting, why is Bahrain not attending? | News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Iran says a meeting between Iraq and the Gulf countries will be held in Oman on Monday to discuss the Strait of Hormuz, which remains under Tehran\u2019s blockade amid the diplomatic deadlock with the United States.<\/p>\n

Global energy supplies have been disrupted due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, impacting countries around the world. The blockade has particularly affected Gulf countries, which depend on oil and gas for vast majority of their budgets.<\/p>\n

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In a statement on Friday, Iran\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the meeting is intended to \u201cpromote better understanding among the countries of the region and help strengthen shared regional security\u201d.<\/p>\n

But Bahrain, a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), has said it will not participate in the planned meeting. Bahrain has borne the brunt of Iranian attacks since the US and Israel launched the war on Iran in February.<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s behind the meeting and why won\u2019t Bahrain participate?<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what we know:<\/p>\n

What has Iran said about the meeting?<\/h2>\n

On Saturday, Iran\u2019s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, told Al Jazeera that the meeting is \u201ca sign of Iran\u2019s good intention because we have said all along that the security of the region must be guaranteed by the countries of the region, without intervention by the foreigners, without intervention by the outside powers\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a sign we will talk to our neighbours, despite the fact that their territories, their military bases or the military bases of the United States, were used to attack Iran,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Gulf nations have accused Tehran of attacking civilian targets, including airports and desalination plants.<\/p>\n

Baghaei added that Tehran would \u201cbrief the delegations about the results of the Iran and Oman consultations regarding the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz\u201d.<\/p>\n

Moreover, on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that Tehran\u2019s expected agreement with Muscat to govern the Strait of Hormuz will not trigger a reopening of the waterway.<\/p>\n

In comments to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Araghchi said Iran will \u201cprovide the participating countries with the details of the agreement with Oman and the maps related to the new route\u201d during the meeting<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But the agreement does not \u201cin any way\u201d signal that the strait will reopen, with Tehran still expecting the US to honour the commitments of the June 60-day memorandum of understanding signed in June<\/a>, he said. The MoU collapsed in July after the US tried to push for an alternative route closer to Omani territory, drawing Iranian attacks.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, at least one person was killed and four others wounded after an Iranian commercial vessel was attacked near Qeshm Island in the strait, with attacks on ships escalating in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cIran believes that the responsibility for ensuring security and stability in the region lies solely with the countries of the region,\u201d Araghchi added.<\/p>\n

Who is planning to attend the meeting?<\/h2>\n

Iraq and most of the Gulf nations have not yet responded whether they will attend the planned meeting.<\/p>\n

However, Bahrain has said it will not be participating in the proposed meeting.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn light of what has been circulated \u2026 the Kingdom of Bahrain will not participate in it,\u201d Bahrain\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Pointing to attacks on infrastructure across the Gulf, Bahrain said that security and stability in the region \u201ccannot be preserved through a policy of appeasement\u201d and called for Hormuz to be open without \u201cdiscrimination, fees or permits\u201d.<\/p>\n

Bahrain\u2019s Foreign Ministry said it maintains its commitment to dialogue, but \u201cwill not be a party to any collective meeting that includes Iran before the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries\u201d.<\/p>\n

Bahrain cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 2016 alongside Saudi Arabia during an earlier crisis between the regional rivals. While Riyadh restored ties in 2023, Manama is yet to do so.<\/p>\n

What is behind the meeting between the GCC and Iran?<\/h2>\n

Indirect talks mediated by Oman are continuing between regional actors regarding safe passage and temporary shipping lanes, even as recent attacks on commercial vessels highlight the ongoing danger in the waterway through which a fifth of global oil and gas passes.<\/p>\n

Top officials from Iran and the Gulf countries have held calls in an effort to resolve the conflict. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani visited Tehran late last month, aimed at de-escalating tensions and helping break the diplomatic deadlock between Iran and the United States.<\/p>\n

A source familiar with Monday\u2019s meeting told Iran\u2019s Tasnim news agency that an agreement on routes through the strait between Iran and Oman will be presented at the meeting, but the strait will not reopen unless the US meets Iran\u2019s conditions on the waterway.<\/p>\n

Iran wants its control of the Strait of Hormuz to be recognised, allowing it to collect fees from ships that use it, which Washington rejects. Oman, which controls the opposite bank of the strait, says it is negotiating with the agreement of other regional states.<\/p>\n

What is the current situation at the Strait of Hormuz?<\/h2>\n

The status of the Strait of Hormuz is contested and restricted more than six months into the US and Israel\u2019s war on Iran.<\/p>\n

Iran maintains restrictions and considers the strait largely closed or tightly controlled amid ongoing conflict.<\/p>\n

Tehran has also been pushing to formalise its control over the waterway, including potentially charging fees for passage, and has been in negotiations with Muscat, as Oman\u2019s territorial waters also cover Hormuz.<\/p>\n

Tehran has also insisted that normal transit will not resume until the US lifts the naval blockades on its ports and removes sanctions.<\/p>\n

The strait was free to use by shipping from all nations before the US and Israel attacked Iran late in February, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n

Daily shipping traffic through the strait has plummeted by about 95 percent since the start of the war on Iran, dropping from a pre-war average of roughly 130\u2013140 ships per day down to an average of about five to seven vessels a day.<\/p>\n

US President Donald Trump has, however, said it is in total control of the waterway.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, on Sunday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a vessel has been struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n

In another incident on Sunday, at least one person was killed and four others were wounded in an attack on an Iranian commercial vessel near Hengam Island and the Shib Deraz coast of Qeshm Island, Qeshm Governor Hossein Amir Teymouri said, according to Iranian state broadcaster IRIB.<\/p>\n

Teymouri described the incident as an attack by the \u201cUS terrorist enemy\u201d.<\/p>\n

A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy official has also warned US naval vessels against approaching the Strait of Hormuz, challenging Trump\u2019s claims that Washington controls the waterway.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the Strait of Hormuz is under American control, then go ahead \u2013 bring one of your warships within 100km [62 miles],\u201d the deputy political commander of the IRGC Navy said, according to Iran\u2019s Fars news agency.<\/p>\n

He said US forces know that any vessels approaching the area would face a response from Iranian forces, adding that similar incidents had occurred in recent days.<\/p>\n

The US has not yet commented on this incident.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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Iran says a meeting between Iraq and the Gulf countries will be held in Oman on Monday to discuss the Strait of Hormuz, which remains under Tehran\u2019s blockade amid the diplomatic deadlock with the United States. Global energy supplies have been disrupted due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, impacting countries around the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3544,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-international-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t