Key facts
- Bahrain will not attend a meeting in Oman with Iran and Gulf states regarding the Strait of Hormuz.
- Bahrain's foreign ministry stated the country will not participate in any meeting involving Iran until diplomatic relations are restored.
- Bahrain cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 2016 and has not yet restored them, unlike Saudi Arabia.
- Bahrain cited attacks on regional infrastructure and called for Hormuz to be open without discrimination, fees, or permits.
- Iran's foreign ministry had announced a meeting in Muscat to negotiate the future of the Strait of Hormuz.
Bahrain announced on Monday that it would not participate in a meeting scheduled for the same day in Oman between Iran and Gulf states concerning the Strait of Hormuz. The Bahraini foreign ministry issued a statement indicating that the kingdom "will not be a party to any collective meeting involving Iran prior to the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries."
Bahrain severed diplomatic ties with Iran in 2016, a move that mirrored Saudi Arabia's decision at the time. While Saudi Arabia has since restored relations with Iran in 2023, Bahrain has not.
The ministry further stated that security and stability in the region cannot be maintained through "a policy of appeasement," referencing attacks on infrastructure across the Gulf. Bahrain called for the Strait of Hormuz to remain open without "discrimination, fees or permits."