Bahrain refuses to participate in the 'Hormuz' meeting: Regional security cannot be built on overlooking attacks

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain announced that it would not participate in the ministerial meeting proposed by Iran regarding the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement carried by the Bahrain News Agency (BNA), the ministry clarified that, in light of media and social media reports concerning a proposed ministerial meeting on the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, the Kingdom of Bahrain would not take part and would not be a party to any collective meeting involving Iran until diplomatic relations between the two countries are restored. This position had previously been communicated to Oman through official channels, without detracting from Bahrain’s appreciation of Oman’s sincere efforts or its commitment to dialogue as a means of resolving differences.

The ministry stated that dialogue cannot disregard established facts. It noted that the Kingdom had suffered attacks targeting its infrastructure and civilian assets, one of which, aimed at an ammonia storage tank, nearly led to a comprehensive disaster. The targeting of the East-West oil pipeline in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Friday further underscored that attacks on civilian and economic facilities remain an immediate threat, not a matter of the past.

According to the statement, the security and stability of the region cannot be built on overlooking attacks, purchased by remaining silent about their consequences, or safeguarded through appeasement policies. Bahrain, upholding good neighborliness as a legal obligation rather than a political courtesy, holds that peace rests on four indispensable pillars: an end to attacks, the establishment of international responsibility for such acts, and reparation for resulting damages; respect for state sovereignty and the prohibition of using any country’s territory as a launching point for attacks on its neighbors; and the resolution of outstanding issues through legal means.

The ministry reaffirmed the Kingdom’s firm position that any arrangement concerning navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, endorsed by the International Maritime Organization, and must preserve the right of innocent passage for all vessels without discrimination, fees, or permits. It emphasized that all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states should contribute to such arrangements, given the link between the security of the waterway and the security of their supply chains.

Stressing that Bahrain, by virtue of its membership in the UN Security Council and its commitment to joint Gulf action, will continue to work through legal and diplomatic channels to safeguard freedom of navigation and regional security, the ministry expressed readiness to support any arrangement that achieves consensus and is grounded in international law. It concluded that while the Kingdom does not close the door to peace, it will not open it at the expense of justice, as peace not founded on justice is merely a truce awaiting its expiration.