Mohammad Alibek, the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s director general for Persian Gulf affairs, announced the postponement, saying the meeting would be held at another date.
“Upon the request of some regional countries and a joint decision by Oman and Iran, the meeting of the foreign ministers of the Persian Gulf littoral states, which had been scheduled for Monday, was postponed to another date,” Alibek said.
He added that the Islamic Republic of Iran would coordinate with Oman through close consultations to make the necessary arrangements regarding a suitable date for holding the meeting.
The postponement comes amid regional consultations on maritime navigation and security in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has said that an agreement reached with Oman on a new maritime route through the strategic waterway should not be interpreted as a reopening of the strait.
Araqchi said the planned meeting in Oman would focus on the new route, with participating countries to be briefed on the agreement and related maps. He stressed that Iran’s condition for reopening the Strait of Hormuz is the return of the United States to its commitments under the Islamabad memorandum of understanding.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had earlier said regional Arab foreign ministers would meet in Oman to discuss a framework for navigation through the strait and communicate the arrangement to the relevant international maritime organization. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei also said the meeting would include Iran, Iraq and other Persian Gulf littoral states, with discussions focusing on regional issues and the outcome of Iran-Oman negotiations on safe routes for commercial shipping.