During the 145th session of the Arab foreign ministers meeting at the Arab League in Cairo on March 10, Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa accused Iran of smuggling weapons and explosives that have fueled sectarian strife in Arab societies and accused Lebanese Hezbollah, which Iran supports, of terrorism. His accusations came a day after the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) reaffirmed a decision it had made on March 2, designating Hezbollah a terrorist organization on the ground that its actions have destabilized security and the social peace in some Arab countries, an assertion raised by the foreign ministers of the GCC, Jordan and Morocco.

Despite media leaks about disagreement among the GCC states over Hezbollah's classification because of differences of opinion on Iran, a unanimous resolution was finally adopted, even by Oman, which had initially proposed that the designation only apply to the party’s military wing, along the lines of the approach taken by the European Union in July 2013. When asked by Al-Monitor about Oman's stance on the terrorist designation, a well-informed GCC source who requested anonymity said, “Lengthy discussions took place in the past days between GCC members concerning the wording of the resolution, with the Omanis demonstrating remarkable flexibility in this regard compared to their previous rigid position in dealing with resolutions condemning or boycotting Iran. The GCC was thus unanimous, as in general, an understanding existed therein concerning the stance vis-a-vis Hezbollah.”

In statements made Feb. 25 to Lebanon’s LBC channel, Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk said that in 2015 Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were involved in hosting and training Shiite factions from Gulf countries — in particular from Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — on Lebanese soil.

It seems these statements embarrassed Iran’s friend Oman — whose economic and political ties with Tehran have been developing, with a sea bridge expected to open in the coming days between the two countries — and hurt its chances of being able to amend the Gulf statement on Hezbollah. Muscat already faced accusations of turning a blind eye to the illicit passage across its borders of Yemen-bound Iranian personnel and arms destined to support the Houthis. It thus was not in Muscat’s interest to provoke a crisis with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait, whose leaders all believe that the politically insightful rhetoric of Hezbollah was no less dangerous than military operations targeting Gulf states. As a result, the Omanis chose to recognize its Gulf neighbors’ concerns and allow the passage of the resolution against Hezbollah, irrespective of Muscat’s level of commitment toward its implementation.