Iran-Gulf States Talks Postponed, Saudi Arabia Says Yemen Situation Has Stalled Negotiations

BlockBeats news, September 14: Iran's Foreign Ministry stated that the high-level multilateral talks between Iran and Persian Gulf countries, originally scheduled to be held in Oman, have been postponed. Oman's Foreign Minister said the postponement was to seek consensus among all parties, but an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Saudi Arabia requested the delay due to the "situation in Yemen."

The talks were originally set to be the highest-level multilateral diplomatic contact between Iran and its Persian Gulf neighbors since the outbreak of the U.S.-Iran war. Recently, Houthi forces have captured multiple major cities along Yemen's Red Sea coast and may further control the Bab el-Mandeb Strait; meanwhile, militia groups in Iraq with close ties to Iran launched drone attacks, causing the closure of Saudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline.

With the Strait of Hormuz largely blocked and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait facing new risks, Gulf countries' oil export routes are under dual pressure. Brent crude briefly rose to $110 per barrel last Friday, and the average U.S. gasoline price also rose to $4.30 per gallon, a marked increase from $2.98 at the outbreak of the war.

Middle East experts believe that Gulf countries are accelerating their search for diplomatic solutions due to the expanding influence of Iran and its proxies, while also growing increasingly concerned about whether the United States has the ability to help them contain the situation. Iran denies involvement in the attacks on Saudi oil pipelines and says it has reached an agreement with Oman on shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, with the two sides discussing the publication of related arrangements.