Talks between Iran and Gulf states put off

The much-anticipated meeting between Iran and the Gulf countries on Monday — with the Strait of Hormuz expected to dominate the agenda — has been postponed as the region reeled from tense escalation in critical shipping lanes over the weekend.

"In the interests of consensus, the regional meeting set for tomorrow in Salalah has been postponed. We remain committed to fostering dialogue that supports stability and lasting cooperation in our region," Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi wrote on X late on Sunday.

Mohammad Ali Bek, director-general for the Persian Gulf region department at Iran's Foreign Ministry, said the meeting was moved to another date at the request of some regional countries and by joint decision of Oman and Iran, Iranian media reported.

He said Tehran and Muscat will make the necessary arrangements to find a suitable time to hold the meeting.

However, an article from Iran's Tasnim News Agency earlier on Monday blamed "external actors" for "squandering" an opportunity to strengthen the understanding among regional countries. It said the countries responsible for the postponement should be held accountable for the consequences.

The Tasnim article cited possible influence of "the US and the Zionist regime" that prevented the Iran-Oman meeting on the Strait of Hormuz from taking place.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei claimed that Saudi Arabia has requested that the meeting not be held for the time being. He said the continued conflict among Muslim countries only serves the Israeli goal of regional insecurity.

Meanwhile, during the weekend, one person was killed, and several others were injured as an Iranian vessel came under attack off Qeshm Island.

Tehran blamed the US for the attacks.

Baghaei said the incident was "another indication that the US has deployed military forces to our region — thousands of kilometers away from its own borders — and, while claiming to be concerned about the safety and security of shipping, attacks Iranian vessels right off our coasts and borders", as quoted by Iran's Mehr News Agency.

Washington has not confirmed or commented on the strikes.

The diplomatic setback also happened as US President Donald Trump floated the idea that the United States could "stay and keep the oil" in Iran, comparing it to the US-Venezuela deal despite having said earlier that the conflict with Iran could end after the upcoming midterm elections.

Oil prices climbed to $107 per barrel as Middle East tensions remained high, while Yemen's Houthis stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia. The benchmark US crude was also up 3.2 percent to $103.26 per barrel.

Jawaid Iqbal, vice-chancellor of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University in India, said that the ongoing military tensions, particularly the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline, "had already put a question mark over the proposed meeting".

"Since it is the Gulf countries that are bearing the brunt of the conflict, it is in their interest to sit together to resolve this conflict as soon as possible," Iqbal told China Daily.

Also at Monday's news conference, Baghaei rejected linking Iran to what is unfolding in Yemen, reiterating that Tehran "does not interfere in Yemeni affairs" and instead blamed others for exploiting the situation to drive a wedge between Iran and other regional countries.

Yemen's Houthis and the Yemeni government exchanged strikes over the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

The Houthis launched a largescale ballistic missile and drone attack on Saudi Arabia's King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait and claimed "direct hits", Al Jazeera reported on Monday. Riyadh has yet to issue a statement.

The militant group also said it has seized the strategic islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish in the southern Red Sea. The capture of the islands is the latest in the group's swift advance around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key passage for Saudi oil shipments that has only become more crucial during the Iran conflict since it serves as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.

'Unjustified' move

In developments related to nuclear issues, Baghaei on Monday condemned Austria's "unjustified" move to deny the Iranian nuclear chief a visa and prevent him from attending an International Atomic Energy Agency conference in Vienna.

He stressed that Iran has summoned Austria's charge d'affaires in Tehran and explicitly conveyed its protest to the Austrian government.

Iran's state-run IRIB news agency reported on Monday that Austria has denied a visa to the president of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Mohammad Eslami, who was scheduled to deliver a speech at the 70th Regular Session of the IAEA General Conference in Vienna later in the day, citing "obstructionism" by the United States and certain other countries as the reason.

Xinhua and agencies contributed to this story.