A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Monday’s Oman meeting on Hormuz was unlikely to produce a signed deal, while Bahrain said it would not attend any group meeting with Iran until diplomatic ties are restored.
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Iran was probably responsible for the aerial attack that shut down Saudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline.
Iraq closed a border crossing with Iran after drones struck Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline, Reuters reported. Riyadh said the drones came from Iraq and caused injuries and damage.
President Masoud Pezeshkian tied Hormuz reopening to an end to the US blockade and said Iran and Oman would sign a shipping agreement on Monday in the presence of Arab foreign ministers.
Iraq closed the al-Tayyib border area with Iran after drone launch sites were discovered there, Reuters reported on Saturday, citing two Iraqi military sources.
The closure comes as Iraqi authorities investigate drone launch platforms found near the Iran-Iraq border.
A planned meeting between Iran and regional states in Oman on Monday is expected to cover the Strait of Hormuz and other regional issues but is not likely to produce a signed agreement, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Saturday.
The official, who discussed the plans on condition of anonymity, said the meeting was called at Oman’s initiative. Iran and Oman have been negotiating for months over arrangements governing shipping through the strait.
Iran still wants any agreement to allow Tehran to collect fees from ships using the waterway, a proposal Oman opposes, the official said.
Bahrain said on Saturday it would not attend any group meeting with Iran until diplomatic relations between the two countries are restored.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi approved an Iranian request for a joint investigation into drone launch platforms found near the Iraq-Iran border, the Iraqi News Agency reported on Saturday.
The investigation will look into the discovery of the platforms near the border, amid reports that drones launched from Iraqi territory were used in the attack on Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline.
Russia is concerned that the situation in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is developing in an “uncontrolled manner,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday, according to Interfax.
The comments came after Iran-aligned Houthi forces reached Perim Island, tightening pressure on a key global shipping route.
Bahrain said on Saturday it would not attend any group meeting with Iran on the Strait of Hormuz until diplomatic relations between the two countries were restored, state media reported.
The Foreign Ministry said it had already conveyed the position to Oman, while stressing that any arrangement governing navigation through the strait should be based on international law and approved by the International Maritime Organization.
Bahrain also cited attacks on civilian and economic infrastructure, including the strike on Saudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline, as a reason for its position.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Saturday on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, Iran's embassy in India said.
The embassy gave no immediate details of their discussions.
BRICS leaders unanimously adopted a joint declaration on Saturday calling for diplomacy in international conflicts, opposing unilateral coercive measures and warning of growing nuclear risks, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.
The declaration called for the peaceful resolution of disputes through “dialogue, consultation and diplomacy” and said nuclear safeguards, safety and security must be upheld even during armed conflicts. It also expressed concern over the growing risk of nuclear conflict.
The bloc condemned unilateral coercive measures that it said violated international law and voiced concern about tariffs and other trade restrictions inconsistent with World Trade Organization rules. It also encouraged further work on cross-border payments among BRICS countries.
Reuters had earlier reported that the declaration was expected to avoid naming individual countries as members worked to bridge differences between Iran and the United Arab Emirates over the regional war.
The agreement marks a shift from a BRICS foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi in May, when differences between Tehran and Abu Dhabi prevented ministers from issuing a joint statement.
Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom plans to increase the number of its specialists at Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant to 150 in the near future, Interfax reported on Saturday.
Rosatom is building two new units at Bushehr. It evacuated hundreds of staff after the United States and Israel launched the war against Iran on February 28.
Chinese President Xi Jinping urged BRICS countries on Saturday to act as peacemakers in the Middle East conflict, saying the war “does not serve the common interests of the international community,” Reuters reported, citing Chinese state media.
Xi said China would work with other BRICS members, including Iran, toward that goal.