A meeting between Iran and other Gulf countries to discuss a temporary shipping lane through the Strait of Hormuz had been postponed after the fresh attacks around the region's oil transit routes.
In a post on X, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said that the regional meeting scheduled for Monday in Salalah, Oman, had been postponed “in the interests of consensus”.
The postponement of the crucial meeting came after Saudi Arabia decided to shut down its East-West oil pipeline after a drone strike that originated in Iraq. The pipeline has served as the main route for Middle East oil bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian officials had said they would attend the meeting with Gulf Arab states to present an agreement with Oman on governing shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
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However, Iran's Fars news agency, citing an Iranian Foreign Ministry official, reported that the meeting in Oman had been postponed at the request of some regional countries. The decision was jointly taken by Tehran and Muscat, the official said.
Iran will coordinate with Oman to determine a suitable date for the meeting, according to the official.
The hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough in the near term faded with the postponement of the meeting. Additionally, fresh attacks on the ships passing through the Strait raised supply disruption concerns, lifting crude oil prices.
Meanwhile, the British maritime security agency UKMTO said on Sunday that a vessel had been struck by a projectile as it moved through the Strait of Hormuz, causing a fire and forcing the crew to be evacuated.
Iran also said one person was killed and four crew wounded aboard an Iranian commercial vessel struck off its coast.
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