Nournews: Reuters recently reported that Saudi Arabia is planning to host a meeting in Riyadh involving Iran, the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and Iraq, focused on the “future management and utilization of the Strait of Hormuz.” According to Reuters, such a summit could represent a step toward redefining the region’s political and security arrangements and may be interpreted as an effort to foster reconciliation and closer ties between the Persian Gulf states and Iran.

If this development is viewed merely as a technical or economic meeting, its true significance may be overlooked. What is taking shape in Riyadh is more than an ordinary regional dialogue; it signals the emergence of a new security perception in the Persian Gulf—one that has gradually begun to replace previous concepts of regional security in the aftermath of the recent forty-day war and the developments that followed.

For decades, many Arab countries in the Persian Gulf defined their security through strategic alignment with the United States. The prevailing assumption was that Washington’s extensive military presence and the network of Western military bases could preserve a favorable regional balance for these states. However, the recent conflict challenged many of these assumptions.

During the confrontation, the United States and Israel entered the arena with the objective of exerting maximum pressure and altering the regional balance of power. Regardless of the competing political narratives, what mattered most to regional actors was the practical demonstration of power on the ground. Persian Gulf Arab states witnessed firsthand that Iran, despite facing significant military, political, and economic pressure, was not removed from the regional equation. On the contrary, it maintained and effectively employed a considerable level of deterrence and response capability. This reality presented Arab capitals with a different picture of the regional balance of power.

The natural consequence of such an experience was a shift in security calculations. A new understanding emerged: that Persian Gulf security can be achieved not through exhausting rivalries and external alliances, but through cooperation among the region’s principal powers. More than anything else, the recent war highlighted a fundamental reality—that Iran is a permanent and indispensable geopolitical fact in the regional equation. It is a reality that cannot be ignored, and regional security cannot be designed or guaranteed without its participation.

The prospective Riyadh meeting should be understood within this framework. The choice of the Strait of Hormuz as the central topic is no coincidence. Hormuz is not merely an energy corridor; it is the geopolitical heart of the Persian Gulf and a symbol of the interconnected destinies of the region’s countries. When the littoral states engage in discussions about the future management of this vital waterway, they are effectively acknowledging an important principle: shared security must be built through the participation of regional actors, not through reliance on interventions by extra-regional powers.

In this context, Saudi Arabia also appears to be redefining its position within this emerging order. Having embarked on a path of de-escalation with Tehran in recent years, Riyadh seems increasingly convinced that economic stability, the success of its development projects, and the attraction of foreign investment all require reduced geopolitical tensions and the establishment of indigenous regional security arrangements.

Of course, it would be unrealistic to assume that all historical differences between Iran and certain Arab countries have disappeared. Numerous issues remain unresolved, and longstanding mistrust will not vanish overnight. What distinguishes the present from the past, however, is that the political will to manage disagreements has begun to replace policies of exclusion and confrontation.

Perhaps the most important strategic achievement of the recent war for the region is precisely this transformation in security perceptions. Whereas many regional actors once sought security through the presence of foreign powers, there is now a stronger belief than ever that sustainable security in the Persian Gulf is the product of cooperation among the countries of the region.

From this perspective, the Riyadh meeting is not merely a conference about the Strait of Hormuz. It may symbolize the beginning of a new phase in the regional order—one in which geopolitical realities replace geopolitical illusions, and dialogue, rather than confrontation, becomes the primary instrument for shaping the future of the Persian Gulf.