Egypt’s FM, Omani, Qatari counterparts address regional military escalation

CAIRO – 12 July 2026:  Two phone calls took place om Saturday evening between Dr. Badr Abdelatty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Egyptians Abroad, and both Mr. Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman; and Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar. 

These calls came as part of the ongoing consultations and coordination regarding the serious regional tensions after the fragile ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran failed and war was resumed last week.

The calls addressed the outcomes of the direct and indirect meetings and communications hosted by Muscat yesterday, as well as the efforts made to advance de-escalation and the resumption of US-Iranian negotiations. 

The ministers also discussed the repercussions of the renewed military escalation and the serious threat it poses to the security and stability of the region. They emphasized the importance of consolidating efforts to reduce tensions and return to the negotiating track, which would contribute to preserving regional security.

Tehran launched retaliatory strikes following a fresh wave of US military attacks on Iranian targets.

The Iranian attacks reportedly targeted Jordan, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain, marking a sharp escalation that further undermines the US-Iran memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war.

Meanwhile, Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, saying it had fired a warning shot at a vessel traveling on an unauthorized route and disabled a second ship.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the strategic waterway would remain closed until "the end of US interference in this region."

However, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Sunday said commercial vessel traffic continues through the strategic strait, which carried roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and LNG shipments ahead of the war.

Additional reporting by Amr Mohaed Kandil