Salalah meeting unavoidable for regional security

By: Abdolreza Ghofrani 

Iran and the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) planned to meet in Salalah, Oman, to negotiate the security of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

As this pen has already made clear, despite their different political viewpoints, the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf share a common view on maintaining the security of this strategic region. Iran, having the longest coastline in the Persian Gulf, also seeks enduring security in the region. A few days ago, the Spokesman of Iran's Foreign Ministry bluntly reaffirmed the importance of stability in the Persian Gulf. This proves again that despite the different political viewpoints of the countries in the region, including Iran, they have something in common: the stability and peace of the Persian Gulf, because their lives and interests are at stake.

The Salalah Meeting is important because:

First, in the short term, it can de-escalate the existing crisis, which, for political, economic, and security reasons, has dangerous dimensions for all of them. So again, scaling down this crisis is quite critical, on which they certainly have no disputes. To serve that goal, holding the meeting is very important and unavoidable. Thus, doing this is quite important—the sooner, the better—for this is a good and new opportunity they have to seize.

Second, in the long term, to establish lasting stability and security not only in the Persian Gulf but also in the Red Sea, they need to work out a solution. The recent crisis in the Persian Gulf proved that developments in those two regions are not only separable but also interact and reinforce each other. So the countries of these two regions have to provide a strategic mechanism and devise security arrangements.

Third, as I have reaffirmed before, the recent developments in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, as well as in the Red Sea and the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, have clearly proved that foreign powers cannot bring security to these two regions. Because it is the countries of these two regions who understand and are aware of all the political, economic, cultural, and security requirements of their homelands.

So despite their high capacities and their long stays in these areas, foreign powers do not have this possibility. By and large, these powers need to accept that their involvement in this sensitive area not only brings any security but could also erupt into uncontrollable chaos in the whole Middle East. Of course, this does not mean that those powers must not have any relations with the countries in the region. Rather, they need to behave within the framework of international law and the standards of relations with all countries of the world, provided, however, that they entrust the security of these regions to their rightful owners.