Gulf diplomats and Iranian officials will meet Monday to discuss an Omani plan for reopening the Strait of Hormuz to regular tanker traffic, but a critical player won’t be at the table: the United States.
Despite shipping traffic remaining depressed, Donald Trump has insisted the state of the waterway is acceptable for now with the US military escorting oil tankers.
But the meeting on Monday underscores that — despite active efforts to develop alternative corridors for passage through the strait — countries in the region are unwilling to accept the status quo as the new normal. After months of private discussions on a complicated possible legal framework to reopen the strait that could allow Iran and Oman to collect fees, diplomats are hopeful the gathering could create some momentum for a deal.
Canada, Denmark, and gulf countries are beginning to understand that the only way to apply pressure to Trump is by causing economic pain in red states (and all states by necessity). France and the UK are considering doing the same. Things could get REALLY painful next year and beyond if this thought process catches on to real world action coupled with the devastating ramifications the US is feeling from Trumps war of choice in Iran (and potentially elsewhere if he follows through with various threats to cause even more distractions)