Bahrain won't attend meeting on Hormuz in Oman

Bahrain has decided not to attend a meeting on Monday in Oman involving Iran and Gulf states to discuss the Strait of Hormuz, according to AFP. The Bahraini foreign ministry stated that the country will not participate in any collective meeting with Iran until diplomatic relations between the two nations are restored. Bahrain severed diplomatic ties with Iran in 2016 during another regional crisis, while Saudi Arabia restored relations with Tehran in 2023.

In response to attacks on Gulf infrastructure, the Bahraini ministry emphasized that security and stability in the region cannot be maintained through appeasement and called for the Hormuz strait to remain open without discrimination, fees, or permits. Iran's foreign ministry had announced that a meeting would take place in Muscat, where the future of the strait, crucial for global oil and gas flows, would be negotiated.