Bahrain Refuses to Attend Monday's Hormuz Meeting with Iran Until Diplomatic Ties Restored, Calls for Strait Open Without Fees or Permits

Bahrain announced Saturday it will not participate in the planned Monday meeting in Oman between Gulf Cooperation Council states and Iran to discuss the Strait of Hormuz, saying it will not take part in any collective meeting involving Iran before diplomatic relations between the two countries are restored, according to a statement from Bahrain's Foreign Ministry. Manama severed ties with Tehran in 2016 alongside Saudi Arabia during an earlier regional crisis. The ministry said security and stability in the region cannot be preserved through a policy of appeasement, and called for the Strait of Hormuz to be open without discrimination, fees, or permits, pointing to attacks on infrastructure across the Gulf since the war began. Bahrain conveyed its position to Oman through official channels. Bahrain's refusal complicates Monday's Salalah meeting, which was intended as the first ministerial-level gathering between the six GCC states and Iran since the war's outbreak. The absence of Bahrain, which has been targeted by Iranian missile and drone strikes since February and hosts significant US military presence, underscores the deep fractures within the GCC over engagement with Tehran. Iran has been pushing to formalize control over the Strait of Hormuz, including potentially charging fees for passage, in negotiations with Oman whose territorial waters also cover part of the strait. Bahrain's call for the strait to remain open without fees directly challenges Iran's stated position. It remains unclear whether the other GCC states including Saudi Arabia and the UAE will attend the Monday meeting.