Oman has postponed a planned meeting between Iranian and Gulf foreign ministers on Strait of Hormuz shipping, a setback to hopes of restoring predictable maritime traffic through the vital waterway as oil prices climbed back above $107 a barrel on Monday. Hormuz Talks Postponed
The talks, to be held in Salalah, have been seen as a potential opening to try to ease months of disruption in the Gulf. Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said the delay aimed to create space for “constructive dialogue” that could support regional stability, while Iran said the decision was mutual, made after requests from unspecified regional countries. For UAE residents, the fallout touches nearly every corner of daily life — from flights and fuel costs to broader security concerns.
Aviation disruption is already visible on the ground: more than 170 flights were delayed at the UAE’s two main airports on Sunday, and two flydubai routes between Dubai and Bahrain were scrapped, part of a pattern of turbulence that has gripped regional airspace for months.
Energy markets remain jittery. Brent crude briefly eased before climbing past $107 following a string of fresh incidents, including a reported projectile strike on a vessel in the strait, an attack on an Iranian commercial ship near Qeshm Island that killed one person, and a temporary shutdown of part of Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline after a drone strike.
The US Central Command said it had rerouted 101 commercial vessels as of Sunday to enforce its blockade on Iran, which is also requiring ships to seek transit permission and weighing new passage fees.
The crisis is no longer confined to Hormuz. Houthi forces allied with Iran have seized the Yemeni port of Mocha and Perim Island near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a chokepoint linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden that Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on as an alternative export route.
Analysts say Tehran appears to be leveraging disruption across multiple fronts — Hormuz, oil prices and Bab al-Mandeb — to strengthen its negotiating position with Washington and Gulf states, even as it remains under heavy US sanctions and naval blockade. Officials say daily life in the UAE remains largely unaffected for now, though the situation stays fluid. Al Awasat News
