Discussions Begin on Strait of Hormuz Transit...First Ministerial Meeting Between Iran and Six Gulf States Set for the 14th

[Financial News] Iran will meet with Gulf states in Salalah, Oman, on the 14th (local time) to discuss lifting the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. 
According to the Financial Times (FT) of the United Kingdom on the 11th, the ministerial-level meeting will be attended by the foreign ministers of Iran and the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states, including Oman. It will be the first time senior officials from the six GCC states and Iran have gathered since the war involving Iran broke out in February.
All GCC states export crude oil and are suffering significant economic damage from the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping route. Amid these circumstances, they appear to have agreed to meet directly with Iran after concluding that the strait would not reopen in the short term under pressure from the United States.
Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement, "A meeting will be held in Oman on the 14th with the participation of Iran, Iraq and other Persian Gulf littoral states," adding, "The participants will discuss and exchange views on regional issues, as well as the outcome of Iran-Oman negotiations concerning the designation of safe routes for commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz."
Iran's Foreign Ministry also referred to an agreement between Iran and Oman on a temporary shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, emphasizing that Iran remains committed to efforts to ensure the safety of vessel operations in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to foreign media reports, Oman, a coastal state on the Strait of Hormuz opposite Iran, has maintained a dialogue channel with Iran and worked to resume free passage. Iran, however, maintains that it must secure control over the strait by requiring vessels to obtain Iranian permission to transit, even if passage is free.
Some observers note that even if the countries agree to lift the blockade at the meeting, such an agreement may prove ineffective if the U.S. blockade continues.
[email protected] Lee Hwan-joo Reporter