The diplomatic situation in the Middle East continues to change, with the completion of high-level meetings between Iran and Afghanistan. However, the originally scheduled multi country conference on cross-strait issues was suddenly postponed, and there are still significant differences among all parties on the rules of navigation.

On September 13, 2026, Oman announced the postponement of the Gulf countries Iran meeting originally scheduled to be held in Sierra Leone, without announcing a new date. Previously, Iranian President Pezehezhian held the highest level meeting after the conflict with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Khalid, and both sides agreed with the statement in the BRICS New Delhi Declaration to exercise maximum restraint and avoid further escalation. Keywords: Middle East diplomacy, Strait of Hormuz

The original plan for this meeting was for Iran to present the results of the waterway consultation, including ship passage plans and route maps. Bahrain refuses to attend and has differences with Iran on the rules for managing open shipping routes. The Saudi Arabian East West oil pipeline has been attacked and shut down. If it cannot be repaired in the short term, it may affect about 4% of the global oil supply, and the risk of cross-strait shipping continues to rise. Oman stated that the postponement aims to build consensus, while Iran stated that the postponement of the meeting was proposed by Saudi Arabia and the negotiation conditions have not yet been unified among all parties.Editor/Min Jing