Iran Accuses US of Derailing Talks on Hormuz Strait Control

Iranian political figures and media outlets are accusing the United States of sabotaging a crucial meeting with Oman aimed at establishing arrangements for passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The meeting, which was scheduled to take place in Salalah, Oman, was postponed at short notice, with Iranian officials initially attributing the delay to the concerns of regional countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, amid developments in Yemen.

However, a significant segment of Iranian opinion, including members of parliament and conservative media, directly blames Washington for torpedoing the agreement. They argue that the US pressured Gulf states to cancel the meeting, viewing any bilateral understanding between Iran and Oman on the strait as a political defeat for American influence. Some analysts suggest the postponement is a tactic to extract further concessions from Iran.

Iranian officials like Ismail Baqaei, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, stated that several regional countries requested the postponement, with Baqaei specifically mentioning Saudi Arabia's request due to the Yemen conflict. However, other Iranian figures, such as Fada-Hussein Maleki of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, asserted that the US actively sought to prevent the talks or ensure its participation as a third party. He posited that an Iran-Oman understanding would undermine the US's goal of playing a role in managing the strategic waterway.

Further fueling these accusations, Ali Golhaki, an advisor to the Iranian Parliament Speaker, claimed on X that Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the UAE thwarted the meeting, but crucially identified America as the "main player" behind its cancellation. Another analyst, Mir-Qasem Momeni, echoed this, suggesting the US orchestrated the scenario with other countries executing it to increase pressure on Iran for more concessions.

Despite these accusations, some Iranian commentators believe the issue is broader, pointing out that regional diplomacy alone may not resolve the Hormuz Strait crisis without the involvement of key players like the US and Israel. Others, like Hossein Shariatmadari, editor of the conservative Kayhan newspaper, oppose any agreement with Oman, viewing it as giving the US breathing room and arguing that Iran should not negotiate with other Gulf states on the strait's passage.