The postponement of the meeting of the foreign ministers of the Persian Gulf littoral states reflects the influence of external actors.
Prior to the meeting, discussions had taken place regarding the level of participation and the possibility of extra-regional actors exerting influence. Bahrain had previously announced that it would not attend the meeting, a decision that appeared to have been influenced by pressure from the Israeli regime.
Beyond Bahrain, a number of other regional countries now appear to have been intimidated by pressure from extra-regional actors and have taken destructive steps aimed at disrupting the regional meeting.
According to information obtained from an informed source, Saudi Arabia, through pretexts, and Bahrain, under the influence of the US and the Zionist regime, prevented the meeting on the Iran-Oman agreement concerning the Strait of Hormuz from taking place.
The source also reported negative behind-the-scenes actions by the United Arab Emirates, although these did not result in a public position opposing the Oman summit.
The question is how long regional security and the interests of the countries involved should continue to be sacrificed to the ambitions of the Israeli regime and the US.
Experience has shown that the US military presence in the region has not brought security and that Washington’s support for the interests of the Israeli regime has instead increased insecurity for West Asian countries.
Following US aggression against Iran and threats by the Israeli regime against regional countries, the countries of the region should have realized that dialogue, confidence-building and freedom from foreign interference are the only means of establishing an effective joint regional mechanism for peace, stability and security.
Iran and Oman could have finalized and announced their bilateral understanding without involving other countries, but have instead made a forward-looking and responsible decision to brief other regional states on their negotiations and understandings through an official meeting.
The parties that disrupted this important opportunity to strengthen understanding among regional countries should be held accountable for the consequences of squandering it.