Oman’s Minister of Energy and Minerals, Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi, said Monday that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen, expressing confidence that the current situation could be short-lived and stabilize over the medium term.
اضافة اعلان
Al Aufi said he was pleased that Oman remains able to continue producing oil and gas, noting that the sharp rise in oil and liquefied natural gas prices is not sustainable for everyone.
He stressed the need to diversify export routes and identify alternative options for energy exports, either through Oman or Yemen.
Al Aufi’s remarks came amid regional developments surrounding the Strait of Hormuz. Axios, citing a Gulf official on Sunday, reported that Saudi Arabia had proposed amendments to the Omani-Iranian proposal concerning the strait.
According to the official, the amendments were prompted by Saudi concerns that the proposed wording could establish a new status quo in the strait that Gulf Cooperation Council countries would not accept.
Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi announced Sunday that a regional meeting scheduled for Monday in Salalah between Gulf countries and Iran to discuss potential agreements concerning the Strait of Hormuz had been postponed until a later date.
In a post on X, Albusaidi said the decision to postpone the meeting was made to create suitable conditions for constructive dialogue that could help achieve lasting understandings supporting regional security and stability and meeting the aspirations of the region’s peoples for cooperation and peace.
Iran’s Fars News Agency quoted an Iranian Foreign Ministry official as saying that the meeting was postponed at the request of some regional countries in a joint decision by Tehran and Muscat. The official added that Iran would coordinate with Oman to determine an appropriate date for the meeting.
Iranian officials had previously said they would attend the meeting with Gulf states to present an agreement with Oman on regulating shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
Separately, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told The New Arab that Iran would not reopen the strait unless the United States met Tehran’s demands, regardless of any agreement with Oman.
The developments came amid mounting pressure on energy supplies. Oil prices rose at the start of Monday’s trading session following developments threatening supplies from Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter. Saudi Arabia kept a major 1,200-kilometer east-west pipeline closed at the beginning of the week after it was damaged in drone attacks on Friday.
The East-West pipeline has been a key route for transporting oil away from the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, shipping through the strait continues to face risks. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said Sunday that a vessel was struck by a projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, causing a fire and forcing its crew to evacuate.
