Hormuz Talks Postponed Amid Fee Dispute

Iran and the United Arab Emirates held their highest-level meeting since the conflict began on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi, with President Masoud Pezeshkian saying both sides agreed to “turn the page” on tensions. The outreach coincided with a BRICS call for restraint and Iran’s effort to work directly with Gulf states to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy route carrying roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil. Iran and Oman developed a framework for safer shipping that could include voluntary payments or transit fees, but Gulf states remain divided over whether such arrangements would undermine free navigation. A regional meeting planned for Monday in Oman was postponed in the interests of consensus and was expected to proceed without the United States; Bahrain refused to attend until diplomatic ties with Tehran are restored and insisted that the strait remain open to all vessels without fees, permits or discrimination. The talks were not expected to produce a signed agreement, underscoring the diplomatic and security obstacles to restoring regular tanker traffic.