Iran · updated 2h ago · 3 min read
Gulf States Postpone Strait Of Hormuz Talks With Iran As Houthis Attack Saudi Arabia
Gulf states postpone talks with Iran on Strait of Hormuz due to Yemen events Oman says meeting in Salalah postponed in interests of consensus among regional parties
Attribution of the pipeline attack is disputed.
10 of 12 outlets skipped it: iran says it intercepted and destroyed an MQ-1 drone over Hormuz.
The New York Times was read line by line by the Watchdog: 6.2. See the score →
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The Guardian
““We remain committed to fostering dialogue that supports stability and lasting co-operation in our region,” he wrote on X.”Read the original ↗
Al Jazeera
“He added that Saudi Arabia requested the postponement of the meeting.”Read the original ↗
It signals who is seen as driving the diplomatic delay.
Hormuz talks delayed
Gulf states postponed a critical meeting with Iran on the future of the strait of Hormuz owing to a lack of Arab consensus and growing Saudi Arabian anger with Tehran for helping the Houthis loosen Riyadh’s grip in Yemen.
“postponed a critical meeting with Iran on the future of the strait of Hormuz”
The stalemate over the vital waterway came as Houthi rebels launched a fresh barrage of missile and drone attacks on Saudi military targets, with a Houthi military spokesperson claiming its forces had attacked the King Khalid airbase in Khamis Mushait.
The postponement, the Houthis’ seizure last week of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, and Tehran-backed pressure in Iraq that forced Saudi Arabia to close a critical east-west pipeline combined to drive up oil prices above $108 a barrel on Monday.
Oman’s foreign minister, Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, said the meeting had been delayed in the interests of consensus, writing on X, “We remain committed to fostering dialogue that supports stability and lasting co-operation in our region,” while Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the meeting was postponed due to “events unfolding in Yemen.”
Drone claim and denials
Iran and the United States traded new claims as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Monday it intercepted and destroyed an advanced MQ-1 drone over the Hormuz strait using a “new advanced aerospace defence system.”
The CNBC account tied the incident to a broader pattern of Iranian operations against U.S. unmanned naval systems in the Gulf, while also noting that President Donald Trump said Sunday the U.S. could continue its campaign against Iran and take control of its oil.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told a news conference that Oman and Iran “have taken a joint decision aimed at arriving at a responsible” approach to the management of the strait, and he said Iran has “no relations whatsoever with what is unfolding in Yemen.”
In parallel, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei rejected suggestions that Tehran had prior knowledge of or played any role in the attack on Saudi Arabia’s strategic East-West oil pipeline, calling the accusation a “lie,” and said Tehran “categorically” denies the allegations.
Oil supply stakes rise
As diplomacy stalled, shipping and energy supply risks intensified, with UKMTO saying on Sunday that a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz was struck by a projectile, causing a fire and forcing the crew to be evacuated.
“transits through the strait had fallen to a single digit per day”
Iran said one person was killed and four crew wounded aboard an Iranian commercial vessel struck off its coast, while preliminary shiptracking data cited by The Tribune showed commodity vessel transits through the strait had fallen to a single digit per day at the weekend, well below a 10-day average of 14.
The Tribune also reported that traders and Saudi oil buyers told Reuters that Riyadh has enough oil stored at its Red Sea port of Yanbu to maintain exports for just five to seven days if the pipeline struck on Friday remains shut, after which “as much as 4% of global oil supply could be jeopardised.”
Beyond Hormuz, the Guardian described how the planned agreement on a temporary route for ships to use would have formalised Iran’s control of the strait since the entry route would have been entirely in Iranian waters, and it noted that Tehran has set preconditions including requiring the US to lift a blockade of Iran’s oil ports and a ceasefire in Lebanon.T