Amid reports that Saudi Arabia and Qatar are close to reaching a deal to end the nearly four-year-long Gulf dispute, signs of tension remain that could hamper a final agreement. With Kuwait working to mediate and build on US-brokered talks, maritime navigation issues have emerged as another sticking point.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia on Dec. 1 called for guaranteeing the freedom of navigation in the Gulf, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea. In a joint statement issued following a meeting of the Egyptian-Saudi political consultation committee in Riyadh, the two countries warned that any attempt to hinder navigation poses a threat to regional security and stability.

The meeting came days after Qatari patrols intercepted on Nov. 25 two Bahraini coastguard vessels conducting a maritime exercise in the Arabian Sea. The Bahraini Interior Ministry described the Qatari action as a “blatant violation” of international maritime conventions.

“No country has the right to intercept by force a coastguard ship or vessel, especially since the incident occurred in the territorial waters of Bahrain,” the ministry said in a statement. The Bahraini parliament also warned that the Qatari boat interception threatened regional security and stability.