TEHRAN/MANAMA, Sept. 12 — Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has said his country and Oman will sign an agreement on the designation of a joint shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz in Muscat on Monday, while Bahrain said on Saturday that it will not attend the meeting.
The Iranian Students’ News Agency reported Saturday that Pezeshkian made the remarks in an interview with the Indian television channel India Today during his visit to New Delhi for the 18th BRICS Summit.
He said the foreign ministers of regional Arab states and Iran will meet in Muscat on Monday, and the agreement on the joint route will be signed in their presence and announced to the International Maritime Organization.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Friday that the foreign ministers of the Gulf littoral states are scheduled to meet in Oman on Monday to exchange views on regional issues, including talks between Iran and Oman on designating safe routes in the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that the kingdom would not participate in the proposed ministerial meeting on the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the Bahrain News Agency, the ministry affirmed that Bahrain would not participate in any collective meeting involving Iran until diplomatic relations between the two countries are restored.
Bahrain cut off relations with Iran in January 2016.
It said it had already conveyed the position to Oman through official channels, adding that it did not diminish Bahrain’s appreciation of Omani efforts or its commitment to dialogue as a means of settling disputes.
The ministry said dialogue could not be based on overlooking facts, noting that Bahrain had been subjected to attacks targeting its infrastructure and civilian sites. It also said the targeting of Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline showed that attacks on civilian and economic facilities remained a present threat.
Late last month, Iran and Oman said in a joint statement that they had exchanged views on a proposed phased framework that includes establishing a temporary joint shipping corridor in the Strait of Hormuz.
Following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, Tehran restricted passage through the strategic waterway, while U.S. forces imposed a naval blockade targeting vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
