Get you up to speed: Bahrain says it will not participate in Iran’s proposed Hormuz meeting
Bahrain announced it will not participate in a proposed meeting in Oman between Iran and other regional countries regarding shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Foreign Ministry has stated that the meeting is aimed at consultations on the future of the waterway, which has been effectively blockaded during the ongoing conflict.
Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed it will not attend the upcoming meeting in Muscat concerning the Strait of Hormuz, citing unresolved diplomatic issues with Iran. Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that the meeting aims to discuss safe passage for shipping but does not anticipate a signed agreement resulting from the talks.
Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that the Kingdom will not participate in the upcoming meeting in Oman, stating that security in the region “cannot be preserved through a policy of appeasement.” Iran, on the other hand, maintains that the meeting is a demonstration of “good intentions” and aims to discuss the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, although no immediate agreements are anticipated.
What remains unclear — It is still uncertain whether any formal agreements will emerge from the upcoming meeting regarding the Strait of Hormuz.
Bahrain announces it will not attend Iran’s proposed meeting on Hormuz Strait
News|US-Israel war on IranBahrain says it will not participate in Iran’s proposed Hormuz meeting
Iran tells WTX News that Monday’s meeting is a sign of ‘good intentions’ towards neighbouring countries.
Published On 12 Sep 202612 Sep 2026
Published On 12 Sep 202612 Sep 2026Bahrain says it will not be participating in a proposed meeting in Oman between Iran and other regional countries to discuss safe passage for shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran has effectively blockaded the shipping channel throughout the war, stopping Gulf oil and gas exports worldwide, but Iran’s foreign ministry said a meeting is planned on Monday in Muscat for “consultations” on the strait’s future.
“In light of what has been circulated … the Kingdom of Bahrain will not participate in it,” Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
Pointing to attacks on infrastructure across the Gulf, Bahrain said that security and stability in the region “cannot be preserved through a policy of appeasement” and called for Hormuz to be open without “discrimination, fees or permits”.
Tehran has been pushing to formalise its control over the waterway, including potentially charging fees for passage, and has been in negotiations with Muscat, as Oman’s territorial waters also cover Hormuz.
The strait was free to use by shipping from all nations before the US and Israel attacked Iran late in February, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry said it maintains its commitment to dialogue, but “will not be a party to any collective meeting that includes Iran before the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries”.
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.
‘We will talk to our neighbours’
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, told WTX News on Saturday that the meeting is “a sign of Iran’s 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”.
“This 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,” he said.
Baghaei added that Tehran would “brief the delegations about the results of the Iran and Oman consultations regarding the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz”.
Reuters news agency quoted an unnamed senior Iranian official saying that the meeting in Oman will be a chance to discuss issues, but it is not expected to yield a signed agreement over the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that an understanding between Iran and Oman would not provide for the immediate reopening of the strait but only establish the basis on which it could reopen.