Iran-GCC summit: What’s behind the meeting, why is Bahrain not attending?

Iran says a gathering betwixt Iraq and the Gulf countries volition beryllium held successful Oman connected Monday to sermon the Strait of Hormuz, which remains nether Tehran’s blockade amid the diplomatic deadlock with the United States.

Global vigor supplies person been disrupted owed to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, impacting countries astir the world. The blockade has peculiarly affected Gulf countries, which beryllium connected lipid and state for immense bulk of their budgets.

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In a connection connected Friday, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the gathering is intended to “promote amended knowing among the countries of the portion and assistance fortify shared determination security”.

But Bahrain, a subordinate of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), has said it volition not enactment successful the planned meeting. Bahrain has borne the brunt of Iranian attacks since the US and Israel launched the warfare connected Iran successful February.

So what’s down the gathering and wherefore won’t Bahrain participate?

Here’s what we know:

What has Iran said astir the meeting?

On Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, told Al Jazeera that the gathering is “a motion of Iran’s bully volition due to the fact that we person said each on that the information of the portion indispensable beryllium guaranteed by the countries of the region, without involution by the foreigners, without involution by the extracurricular powers”.

“This is simply a motion we volition speech to our neighbours, contempt the information that their territories, their subject bases oregon the subject bases of the United States, were utilized to onslaught Iran,” helium said.

Gulf nations person accused Tehran of attacking civilian targets, including airports and desalination plants.

Baghaei added that Tehran would “brief the delegations astir the results of the Iran and Oman consultations regarding the harmless transition of ships done the Strait of Hormuz”.

Moreover, connected Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that Tehran’s expected statement with Muscat to govern the Strait of Hormuz volition not trigger a reopening of the waterway.

In comments to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Araghchi said Iran volition “provide the participating countries with the details of the statement with Oman and the maps related to the caller route” during the meeting.

But the statement does not “in immoderate way” awesome that the strait volition reopen, with Tehran inactive expecting the US to honour the commitments of the June 60-day memorandum of knowing signed successful June, helium said. The MoU collapsed successful July aft the US tried to propulsion for an alternate way person to Omani territory, drafting Iranian attacks.

On Sunday, astatine slightest 1 idiosyncratic was killed and 4 others wounded aft an Iranian commercialized vas was attacked adjacent Qeshm Island successful the strait, with attacks connected ships escalating successful caller weeks.

“Iran believes that the work for ensuring information and stableness successful the portion lies solely with the countries of the region,” Araghchi added.

Who is readying to be the meeting?

Iraq and astir of the Gulf nations person not yet responded whether they volition be the planned meeting.

However, Bahrain has said it volition not beryllium participating successful the projected meeting.

“In airy of what has been circulated … the Kingdom of Bahrain volition not enactment successful it,” Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said successful a connection connected Saturday.

Pointing to attacks connected infrastructure crossed the Gulf, Bahrain said that information and stableness successful the portion “cannot beryllium preserved done a argumentation of appeasement” and called for Hormuz to beryllium unfastened without “discrimination, fees oregon permits”.

Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry said it maintains its committedness to dialogue, but “will not beryllium a enactment to immoderate corporate gathering that includes Iran earlier the resumption of diplomatic relations betwixt the 2 countries”.

Bahrain chopped diplomatic ties with Iran successful 2016 alongside Saudi Arabia during an earlier situation betwixt the determination rivals. While Riyadh restored ties successful 2023, Manama is yet to bash so.

What is down the gathering betwixt the GCC and Iran?

Indirect talks mediated by Oman are continuing betwixt determination actors regarding harmless transition and impermanent shipping lanes, adjacent arsenic caller attacks connected commercialized vessels item the ongoing information successful the waterway done which a 5th of planetary lipid and state passes.

Top officials from Iran and the Gulf countries person held calls successful an effort to resoluteness the conflict. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani visited Tehran precocious past month, aimed astatine de-escalating tensions and helping interruption the diplomatic deadlock betwixt Iran and the United States.

A root acquainted with Monday’s gathering told Iran’s Tasnim quality bureau that an statement connected routes done the strait betwixt Iran and Oman volition beryllium presented astatine the meeting, but the strait volition not reopen unless the US meets Iran’s conditions connected the waterway.

Iran wants its power of the Strait of Hormuz to beryllium recognised, allowing it to cod fees from ships that usage it, which Washington rejects. Oman, which controls the other slope of the strait, says it is negotiating with the statement of different determination states.

What is the existent concern astatine the Strait of Hormuz?

The presumption of the Strait of Hormuz is contested and restricted much than six months into the US and Israel’s warfare connected Iran.

Iran maintains restrictions and considers the strait mostly closed oregon tightly controlled amid ongoing conflict.

Tehran has besides been pushing to formalise its power implicit the waterway, including perchance charging fees for passage, and has been successful negotiations with Muscat, arsenic Oman’s territorial waters besides screen Hormuz.

Tehran has besides insisted that mean transit volition not resume until the US lifts the naval blockades connected its ports and removes sanctions.

The strait was escaped to usage by shipping from each nations earlier the US and Israel attacked Iran precocious successful February, sidesplitting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Daily shipping postulation done the strait has plummeted by astir 95 percent since the commencement of the warfare connected Iran, dropping from a pre-war mean of astir 130–140 ships per time down to an mean of astir 5 to 7 vessels a day.

US President Donald Trump has, however, said it is successful full power of the waterway.

Meanwhile, connected Sunday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a vas has been struck by an chartless projectile portion transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

In different incidental connected Sunday, astatine slightest 1 idiosyncratic was killed and 4 others were wounded successful an onslaught connected an Iranian commercialized vas adjacent Hengam Island and the Shib Deraz seashore of Qeshm Island, Qeshm Governor Hossein Amir Teymouri said, according to Iranian authorities broadcaster IRIB.

Teymouri described the incidental arsenic an onslaught by the “US violent enemy”.

A elder Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy authoritative has besides warned US naval vessels against approaching the Strait of Hormuz, challenging Trump’s claims that Washington controls the waterway.

“If the Strait of Hormuz is nether American control, past spell up – bring 1 of your warships wrong 100km [62 miles],” the lawman governmental commandant of the IRGC Navy said, according to Iran’s Fars quality agency.

He said US forces cognize that immoderate vessels approaching the country would look a effect from Iranian forces, adding that akin incidents had occurred successful caller days.

The US has not yet commented connected this incident.