Saudi Arabia is expected to host a summit bringing together Iran, the Gulf Cooperation Council states, and Iraq for regional reconciliation talks centred on the future management of the Strait of Hormuz, according to diplomatic sources cited by Reuters and AFP. The meeting, planned for Riyadh, is described as a first attempt at rapprochement following the wider Middle East war and will be kept entirely separate from the ongoing US–Iran negotiations. Simultaneously, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani travelled to Muscat on Wednesday to begin preparing a parallel dialogue between Iran, Oman, and other Gulf neighbours on the operational and navigational future of the strait, a second diplomatic source told AFP.

Viewed from Tehran, the proposed Riyadh gathering represents what Iranian media, quoting analysts, describe as a new phase of regional diplomacy. Gulf diplomatic sources, speaking to Reuters, stressed that any future governance model for the Strait of Hormuz must include Iran and Oman as essential parties. The Qatari premier had earlier told the Financial Times that all littoral states should participate in shaping such arrangements. Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, during his meeting with Sheikh Mohammed, underscored the need to push forward efforts to achieve security and stability in the region, while the Qatari side commended Muscat’s pivotal role in sustaining dialogue channels and bridging views between the parties.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of global oil and liquefied natural gas transits, has long been a flashpoint. By isolating the strait’s future operation from the broader US–Iran file—which includes mine-clearing arrangements and other post-conflict measures—the planned talks aim to create a technical, regionally owned framework for cooperation. Analysts in Gulf capitals note that such a format could lower the risk of disruption to maritime traffic and provide a confidence-building mechanism among states whose relations have been strained by years of proxy conflict and the recent war. The initiative also reflects a pattern in which smaller Gulf states, particularly Oman and Qatar, facilitate dialogue that larger powers cannot directly convene.

No date has been set for the Riyadh summit, and the planning remains at an early stage. The Qatari prime minister’s visit to Muscat followed trips to the Omani capital by Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, shortly after the first round of US–Iran talks in Switzerland and the signing of a memorandum of understanding on 18 June, Omani state media reported. The dossier is now in a preparatory phase, with multiple diplomatic tracks proceeding in parallel, and the next concrete step is expected to be the formal announcement of the Riyadh meeting once logistical and agenda details are finalised.