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After a day of intense political activity in the Gulf, by nightfall on July 11, the ceasefire in the region appeared to have collapsed.
Earlier on Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had flown to Muscat for meetings with Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi, and spent 12 hours on the ground in Muscat. After a day of negotiations, the Omani Foreign Ministry said that talks had focused on “navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and ensuring its safety and freedom, in light of the developments and repercussions stemming from recent events.” The statement said that the Iranians had not rejected Omani proposals, undertaking to return to Tehran and to present them to Iran’s National Security Council, and that there was agreement that talks would continue at a technical level — an understanding that the Iranians were to breach within hours of their delegation returning home.
Also present in Muscat during the talks were diplomatic teams from both Pakistan and Qatar, although it is not known whether they participated directly in the bilateral discussions between the Omanis and the Iranian team. Both departed at about the same time as the Iranian delegation flew out. The presence of a US Navy MH-60 Seahawk at Muscat International Airport during the day does not appear to be connected to the talks, and may have been a medical emergency or a flight moving personnel from Muscat to a US Navy vessel offshore. It would be normal, however, for the Omanis to have kept the United States, as well as the Pakistanis and Qataris, abreast of what transpired during the negotiations.
The Iranian response to the discussions of the day was rapid. A few hours later, the Cyprus-flagged container ship GFS Galaxy (IMO 9401271) was attacked off the northeast tip of the Musandam Peninsula while traveling southward along the Omani coastal transit route. The ship was struck aft, causing a fire in the engine room, and 23 members of the crew were rescued from lifeboats by the Royal Navy of Oman. One Indian crewmember remains missing.
FULL ARTICLE AVAILABLE HERE: maritime-executive.com
