Storm in Iran: "The US torpedoed the critical meeting on Hormuz"

Political sources and media in Iran are accusing the US of torpedoing a planned meeting in Oman regarding navigation arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz. The meeting was postponed at Saudi Arabia's request, against the backdrop of tensions in Yemen. Iran sees the meeting as an opportunity to legitimize its control over the strait, but Gulf states oppose it.

Political sources and media in Iran are accusing the US of torpedoing a planned meeting in Oman aimed at formulating arrangements for navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The meeting, which was supposed to take place on Monday in the city of Salalah, Oman, was postponed on short notice. Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said the decision was made "in the interest of consensus." An Iranian Foreign Ministry source said the postponement was at the request of "several countries in the region," while Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Saudi Arabia requested the delay due to developments in Yemen. For Iran, the meeting was intended to "legitimize" their de facto control over the Strait of Hormuz in the eyes of Arab states. Member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security Committee, Fada-Hossein Maleki, said the US tried to prevent the process. Ali Golhaki, an advisor to the Parliament Speaker, also claimed that "the main player behind the cancellation of the meeting is America." Alongside the accusations, there is also internal opposition in Iran to the very agreement with Oman, particularly from the editor of the Kayhan newspaper, Hossein Shariatmadari.