Gulf nations weigh entering Iran war at high-stakes Saudi meet The in-person meeting in Jeddah marks the first time Gulf heads of state have come together since their countries were pulled directly into the fallout of the conflict, which began after US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. Gulf leaders gathered in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for a crucial Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) meeting, looking to agree on how to respond to Iranian missile and drone attacks that have hit the region in recent weeks. The talks take place at a tense moment, with fears of a wider military escalation still hanging over the region despite a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran. The in-person meeting in Jeddah marks the first time Gulf heads of state have come together since their countries were pulled directly into the fallout of the conflict, which began after US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. The strikes on the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman have hit energy infrastructure, military sites and civilian facilities, including assets linked to US operations in the region. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman chaired the meeting, according to Saudi state media, with leaders from across the Gulf gathered in Jeddah for talks. The discussions centred on the fast-changing situation in the region and how member states can better coordinate their next steps. The UAE Foreign Ministry said that Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed participated in the summit on behalf of the UAE President. A Gulf official, speaking anonymously to news agency Reuters, said the primary aim of the summit was to craft a collective response after thousands of Iranian missile and drone attacks targeted Gulf nations. While the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran took effect on April 8 and brought a pause in major attacks, the situation remains tense, with uncertainty still hanging over how long the calm will last. UAE CRITICISM EXPOSES INTERNAL STRAINS The meeting also comes against the backdrop of visible cracks within the GCC, with the United Arab Emirates openly criticising what it sees as a weak collective response. Senior UAE official Anwar Gargash did not hold back in his assessment. "It is true that, logistically, the GCC countries supported each other, but politically and militarily, I think their position was the weakest in history," Gargash said. "I expected such a weak position from the Arab League, and I am not surprised by it, but I have not expected it from the GCC, and I am surprised by it." Complicating things further, the UAE quit OPEC and OPEC+, dealing a heavy blow to the oil exporting groups and their de facto leader, Saudi Arabia, at a time when the Iran war has caused a energy shock and unsettled the global economy. QATAR WARNS AGAINST PROLONGED STALEMATE Earlier in the day, Qatar warned against the dangers of a prolonged and unresolved conflict in the region. "We do not want to see a return to hostilities in the region anytime soon, we do not want to see a frozen conflict that ends up being thawed every time there is a political reason," Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson said. "Our position has been clear from day 1. Any conflict in the region should be solved on the negotiation table. And we believed in the negotiation process and we were supportive of the negotiation process and we will remain supportive of a diplomatic resolution," he added. The urgency of the summit is tied to the scale of recent attacks on Gulf nations. These developments have heightened fears that Gulf states could be drawn more directly into the conflict. Iran has defended its actions, with its foreign minister telling the United Nations Security Council that Tehran would "exercise its right of self-defense". The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has also warned that all Israeli and US military assets across the region are the legitimate targets. For now, Gulf states are treading carefully. Many of them still depend on the US military presence and long-standing defence ties as a shield against external threats, even as they try to avoid getting pulled deeper into the conflict.
Gulf nations weigh entering Iran war at high-stakes Saudi meet The in-person meeting in Jeddah marks the first time Gulf heads of state have come together since their countries were pulled directly into the fallout of the conflict, which began after US and Israeli strikes on Iran…
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A tanker identified as the Kaifan was struck by an unknown projectile northeast of Oman’s Limah in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a July 21 report from UK Maritime Trade Operations. No ships were observed transiting the strait that day. Attribution of the strike and links to prior incidents have not been confirmed by the vessel’s owner.
Goldman Sachs has projected Brent crude averaging $80 per barrel in the fourth quarter and $75 in the following year, conditional on reduced Middle East tensions, while noting upside risks from potential shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz or Red Sea.
Brent prices rose above $91 per barrel amid recent U.S.-Iran exchanges and Houthi threats to Saudi shipments before edging lower on Tuesday. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that mediators had proposed a 10-day ceasefire to preserve an interim agreement.
Opening summary: Iran claims attacks on strait of Hormuz ships amid fresh US strikes Welcome to our live coverage of the latest developments in the Middle East crisis. Iran attacked a tanker in the strait of Hormuz early on Tuesday, forcing its crew to abandon the ship, as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis announced they were imposing an immediate maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea after the two sides traded fire last week for the first time in years.
A Houthi official said the Bab al-Mandeb strait – at the southern end of the Red Sea, through which about 12% of the world’s trade usually passes – would be closed to the Saudis in response to the kingdom’s “unjust blockade on Yemenis for over 10 years”.
Saudi Arabia said it would take “all necessary measures to protect its vessels in accordance with international law”. A 10 consecutive night of US airstrikes has not compelled Tehran to loosen its grip on the strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy supplies.
But even as Iran’s president said the country had returned “full-scale war”, the Iranian interior minister travelled to Pakistan – a key mediator in the conflict – for talks. In key developments: The latest US strikes came hours after Donald Trump said Iran would pay “many times over” for killing US soldiers after multiple service members were killed in action over the weekend.
A tanker came under attack early Tuesday in the Hormuz strait off Oman, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed the attack as well as two other attacks on ships in the waterway on Monday.
The US military’s Central Command said its latest airstrikes were to “degrade” Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the strait and included hitting military command centres and missile and drone launch sites. Iranian media reported strikes in parts of the country including Bandar Abbas, Tabriz and Bushehr, home to the country’s only operational civilian nuclear power.
Iran’s launched attacks in response against Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, which all host US forces. Oil prices softened after hitting their highest levels in more than a month in the previous session. Brent crude futures eased 0.4% to $88.87 a barrel by 0052 GMT on Tuesday while US West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery was steady at $82.
47 a barrel. Democrats have seized on the deaths of three US troops killed in Iranian strikes to urge Trump to urgently reverse his resumption of the war with Iran amid widespread anxiety over climbing casualties. The Lebanese army began taking charge of security in three southern villages, the US said, as a deal to secure an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah faced its first test on the ground.
US forces struck the tanker Settebello in the Gulf of Oman on June 10, killing three Indian crew members when munitions hit the engine room and adjacent areas. Maritime tracking data indicate the vessel had transported Iranian oil under US sanctions for several years and conducted offshore transfers prior to the strike.
The US military described the action as a precision operation, while reports note the ship was stationary at the time.