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Hurmuz regional meeting
A meeting, which was to be held in Oman between the Persian Gulf countries and Iran to discuss possible agreements on the Strait of Hormuz, has been postponed. The meeting was originally scheduled to be held on Monday. According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s director general for the Persian Gulf, the meeting of the Persian Gulf littoral states’ foreign ministers will be held at a later date. Mohammad Alibek added that the decision was made jointly by Tehran and Muscat at the request of some regional countries. The official stressed that Iran will continue consultations with Oman to set a suitable date for the meeting. Earlier, Omani Foreign Minister, Badr Al-Busaidi, said in a social media post that the meeting, which was set to be held in the city of Salalah, has been postponed in the interests of consensus among regional states. He said Muscat remains committed to fostering dialog that supports stability and lasting cooperation in the region. The meeting was aimed at discussing ways to decrease tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Yemen retaliatory operations

The Yemeni army has carried out fresh retaliatory operations against Saudi Arabia, hitting a number of sensitive targets deep inside the country. The attacks reportedly targeted locations in Khamis Mushait, Najran, Jizan and Abha. According to local sources, a large salvo of missiles, rockets and drones was used in Yemen’s fresh strikes on Saudi Arabia. Some reports indicate that sensitive positions in the country’s south have been targeted, including oil facilities in Jizan, as well as facilities belonging to Saudi state oil company, Aramco. There are no immediate reports of casualties, but fire broke out in some oil facilities. The attacks came in response to Saudi aggression against Yemen, which has so far claimed the lives of scores of people. Yemen’s Ansarullah movement had warned that it would target positions inside Saudi Arabia if attacks on and blockade of Yemen continued.

Oil prices surge

Oil prices have jumped by more than 3 $ a barrel as tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and Ansarullah's advances in the Bab el-Mandeb shake global markets. Brent crude climbed above 107 dollars a barrel, extending its rise after jumping more than 8% last week. West Texas Intermediate is also trading above 103 $ a barrel. The rise follows Ansarullah's advances in Yemen, growing tensions around the Red Sea, and attacks on a key Saudi pipeline that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy has announced the precautionary closure of the East-West pipeline. The disruption is already causing fuel shortages and price pressures, including in the US, where diesel is selling for an average of 6 $ a gallon, pushing up production and household costs.

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