Need for a comprehensive review of the Gulf security system: Sayyid Badr

Muscat: Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidi, the Foreign Minister, said that the onging war or the conflict on Iran underlines the need for a comprehensive review of the security structure of the Gulf region, and a shift from the policy of 'containment' that has governed regional arrangements throughout the past decades to a system based on the integration of all countries in the region and their responsibility for their common security.

In an article published by the French newspaper Le Monde, he said that the peoples of the Sultanate of Oman and the Gulf countries are living under the weight of the consequences of a war that should not have taken place, and expressed his hope that the current developments will lead to a real end to the conflict, and not just a temporary halt of military operations that could collapse at any time.

Al Busaidi said that one of the priorities currently on the table is to establish a permanent framework that guarantees freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, pointing to the special responsibility that the Sultanate of Oman has on this issue, as it is, along with Iran, one of the countries bordering the strait's territorial waters on the strait.

The minister stressed the need for the Sultanate of Oman and Iran, in cooperation with the international community, to formulate realistic, sustainable arrangements that are compatible with international law and that guarantee freedom of passage and protect navigation in this corridor, which represents one of the main pillars of global trade and economy.

He praised France's constructive role in discussions on the future of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, but stressed that addressing the strait's situation should be part of a broader strategic vision that includes the Gulf and its associated sea lanes.

The foreign minister said that the security system that has been formed in the Gulf since 1979 was based on the assumption that Iran is an existential threat to the region and to Western interests, a hypothesis that he described as fundamentally wrong.

He pointed out that the past decades have witnessed huge military spending, the expansion of US bases in the region, and the consolidation of a security system that relies on external protection, without building sustainable security or preventing the outbreak of wars and crises.

The minister said that the recent war has revealed the extent to which the policy of containment was an illusion, adding that the sources of the greatest threat to the security of the Gulf often come from decisions taken outside the region, especially from Tel Aviv.

Al Busaidi raised questions about how the Gulf security system can be rebuilt in light of these transformations, stressing that any future structure cannot exclude any of the eight Gulf countries, the six GCC countries, along with Iran and Iraq.

Each of those States had vital interests and responsibilities commensurate with its potential and priorities, and they all had to participate in the design, implementation, and obligations of the new regional order.

This shift will require frank and possibly difficult discussions and a review of some of the axioms that have governed regional and international relations for decades, to distinguish between partnerships that enhance Gulf security and those that may create weaknesses or new sources of tension.

In this context, he called for a balanced review of relations with international partners, especially the United States, noting that the goal is not to abandon historical and well-established relations, but to rebalance them in line with the strategic realities revealed by the war.

He wondered what role friendly countries, including the United States, could play constructively if integration, rather than containment, became the basis of regional security cooperation.

He also stressed that the security of the Gulf cannot be separated from the northwest Indian Ocean, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea, and the ports and sea lanes linked to the region's economic and logistical infrastructure.

He said that the people of such a wide geographical area would benefit from the establishment of a legal and practical framework capable of protecting the movement of trade and navigation and promoting sustainable stability and prosperity.

Al Busaidi described the war as a "catastrophe", noting that it broke out without a mandate from the United Nations and did not achieve the goals announced to justify it.

The hope remains that the repercussions of the war will end the nearly half-century policy of containment and open the way for a more just, realistic, and effective security system in the Gulf region.