MUSCAT-(MaraviPost)-A planned regional meeting between Iran and Gulf countries on the security and future of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz has been postponed, raising fresh concerns over efforts to ease tensions as the wider Iran war continues to reshape security and trade across the Middle East.
Al Jazeera reported on Monday, September 14, 2026, that Oman announced the postponement in what it described as an effort to protect regional consensus.
An Iranian Foreign Ministry official said the meeting was delayed following a request from some regional countries and through a joint decision by Tehran and Muscat.
The development comes as military tensions around the region intensify.
The United States Central Command said 101 commercial vessels had been redirected by US naval forces in the Strait of Hormuz as of September 13, while the US blockade of Iranian ports continues.
The disruption has added pressure to one of the world’s most important maritime routes for energy and international trade.
The crisis is also spreading beyond the Gulf. In Yemen, Houthi fighters are advancing towards government-held areas including the strategic oil- and gas-producing province of Marib and the city of Taiz.
Yemen’s government forces are reportedly concentrating on defending remaining strongholds rather than attempting to recover territory already lost, with Saudi air support playing a major role in the effort to contain the Houthi advance.
The humanitarian consequences are becoming increasingly severe. Doctors Without Borders’ Yemen country director, Lou Cormack, told Al Jazeera that hospitals along Yemen’s western coast were struggling to resume operations after evacuations, warning that shortages of functioning medical facilities were putting ordinary civilians, mothers and children at serious risk.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to contain the regional crisis remain under pressure.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed regional security and developments in Yemen, with both sides stressing dialogue, cooperation and the need to prevent further escalation.
The postponement of the Hormuz meeting therefore represents another setback for regional diplomacy at a time when military activity, maritime disruption and political tensions are increasingly interconnected.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical pressure point, meaning any prolonged instability around the waterway could have consequences extending well beyond the Middle East.
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