Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi proposed a regional security compact centered on non-aggression, linking it to navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and dialogue among eight countries.
At an Oct. 26 lecture at Girton College, University of Cambridge, Albusaidi named Oman, Iran, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Six are members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC); Iran and Iraq are the other two. The proposal is a goal for regional security, not an announcement that negotiations have begun.
Albusaidi described discussions with Iran as producing an outline for a temporary plan to manage Strait of Hormuz shipping. He said it would take concessions from Iran and the United States to put the plan into effect, including reversing some wartime actions that he said had left most maritime traffic suspended.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Oct. 27 that a regional security framework should protect state sovereignty and commit countries to mutual non-aggression. It called on Iran to demonstrate that position through actions, including safeguarding navigation through the strait. Before Albusaidi’s lecture, an Oct. 18 GCC Ministerial Council communiqué condemned Iranian missile and drone attacks and said any understandings should address Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, drones and support for proxies.
Albusaidi argued that Gulf security should rely less on outside powers over time, while partnerships with them continue. He also called for greater emphasis on regional economic cooperation and investment. He described a possible postwar economic opportunity involving Gulf states and the United States, but did not specify how costs or commitments would be shared.
He cited Oman’s role in facilitating five rounds of indirect U.S.-Iran talks in April and May 2025, followed by three rounds in February 2026. Albusaidi also invoked a 1976 meeting in Muscat as an earlier Gulf dialogue effort. M.H. Ansari’s 1999 study found that participants’ proposals diverged and produced no agreement.
The lecture gives no date for negotiations or method for enforcing a pact. EconoTimes previously covered Oman’s pact proposal and Qatar’s framework call.
