Gulf nations are lining up against Iran’s push to impose tolls on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, signaling support for the United States as regional leaders met Tuesday in Saudi Arabia to coordinate their response to the escalating crisis.

“During the summit, a number of topics and issues related to regional and international developments were discussed, as well as the coordination of efforts in response to them,” the Saudi Press Agency said of the Gulf powwow, which is being held in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

The gathering of Gulf Cooperation Council leaders comes just days after Iran floated a proposal through diplomatic channels. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had traveled to Oman to suggest a joint arrangement in which the two nations bordering the strait would divide control of the vital shipping route, according to multiple U.S. and regional officials.

That proposal was quickly dismissed by Oman, a country that had itself been targeted by Iranian strikes earlier in the conflict. The rejection has complicated Tehran’s efforts to assert authority over the strategic passageway, one of the world’s most important oil transit routes.

“They will forgive, but they will never forget what Iran has done,” a source familiar with mediation efforts told The Post of the Gulf allies.

“They have no interest in paying for Iran’s reconstruction. As a result of all of this, they are not going to allow Iran either control the strait nor toll ships coming through.”

Oman’s position aligns closely with that of President Trump, who has made clear that Iran should not be permitted to charge fees or exert control over access to the waterway. Former Pentagon official and Atlantic Council fellow Alex Plitsas said the broader Gulf bloc shares that view.

“The GCC states support the administration’s assertion that Iran cannot control the Strait of Hormuz nor be able to toll it or be able to close the straits at any time of their choosing,” he said.

Plitsas added that Iran’s recent actions have severely damaged its standing in the region, particularly its attacks on neighboring Gulf states.

“Iran’s strategy of attacking GCC states as it means to put pressure on the United States absolutely backfired and set relations back with their Gulf neighbors by decades,” Plitsas said.

“It was a grave and profoundly stupid mistake.”

He also cautioned that patience among Gulf countries is running out as the strait remains shut and fears persist of additional Iranian aggression.

General negotiations between Washington and Tehran, which had been taking place in Islamabad, Pakistan, have now stalled amid the ongoing tensions.

“Renewed or continued Iranian aggression toward Gulf States will not go unanswered in perpetuity,” Plitsas said.

Tuesday’s summit marked the first time the GCC has convened at this level since the conflict erupted two months ago.

As the war approaches its third month, Qatar signaled it is eager to see the fighting end, though not at the cost of a temporary or unstable arrangement.

“We do not want to see a return to hostilities in the region anytime soon,” Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman, Majed al-Ansari, said at a press conference.

“We do not want to see a frozen conflict that ends up being thawed every time there is a political reason.”

{Matzav.com}