Gulf

CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday (May 15) met Abu Dhabi's powerful crown prince, Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the presidency said, amid rising tensions in the Gulf."Both sides discussed the latest situation in the region in light of the events the Gulf witnessed of sabotage attacks on four vessels off the coast of the Emirates and the attack against two oil pumping stations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," a presidency statement said.Attacks on ships and oil installations in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia this week have come as the United States and Iran remain locked in a standoff.On the bilateral front, the UAE has been a firm regional backer of former army chief Sisi since the military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.The discussions between MBZ and Sisi also "touched upon the latest crisis that Arab countries are experiencing" where they supported efforts to find "political solutions" for them.Abu Dhabi, Cairo and Riyadh are … [Read more...] about Egypt’s Sisi hosts Abu Dhabi crown prince amid Gulf tensions

DUBAI: The UAE said on Wednesday (May 15) it was "committed to de-escalation" after a spike in tensions in the Gulf but warned it would retaliate hard against Yemen rebel attacks on civilian facilities in the region.The UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, was speaking after the mysterious sabotage at the weekend of four ships, including two Saudi oil tankers, and after Yemen's Huthi rebels claimed drone attacks on Tuesday that shut down a key Saudi oil pipeline."We are very committed to de-escalation, peace and stability," he told journalists at a briefing in Dubai.He said a multi-country investigation into the sabotage attacks would be concluded within days, adding: "We are not going to jump the gun.""We need to emphasise caution without throwing accusations," he said. "We have always called for restraint and we will always call for that."However, he blamed "Iranian behaviour" for tensions in the Gulf region, where Washington has sent an aircraft carrier and B-52 … [Read more...] about UAE seeks Gulf ‘de-escalation’ after ship attacks

PARIS: A surge of tensions in the Gulf has shown the risk of a military confrontation between arch-foes Iran and the United States, even if any conflict would likely be marked by guerrilla warfare rather than full-scale battles, analysts say.A series of mysterious attacks on ships off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, the key ally of Tehran's Gulf rival Saudi Arabia, prompted President Donald Trump to warn Iran would "suffer greatly" if it harmed US interests.The United States and Iran have had no diplomatic relations since the seizure by Iranian radicals of American embassy staff in the wake of the 1979 Islamic revolution.The two sides have at times been close to conflict - in particular during a tense period under former US president George W Bush - but analysts see a series of factors as making the current moment particularly combustible.Trump dismayed European allies by pulling out of the 2015 deal on Iran's nuclear programme unilaterally and is now ratcheting up the … [Read more...] about Could Gulf tensions lead to Iran-US war?

FUJAIRAH: Four ships, including two Saudi oil tankers, were damaged in mysterious “sabotage attacks” that have inflamed Gulf tensions amid a standoff between the United States and Iran. In the face of growing international concern, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo scrapped a planned visit to Moscow and headed to Brussels instead for talks Monday with European officials, as Britain warned of the danger of conflict erupting “by accident” in the Gulf. Turning up the pressure on Tehran after the United States deployed B-52 bombers and an assault ship to bolster an aircraft carrier in the region, President Donald Trump warned that Iran would “suffer greatly” were it to “do anything” to threaten US interests. “If they do anything, it would be a very bad mistake,“ Trump warned at the White House. “If they do anything they will suffer greatly.” Acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan proposed a revamped military plan at a … [Read more...] about Oil tankers ‘sabotaged’ as Gulf tensions soar

FUJAIRAH, United Arab Emirates: Four ships, including two Saudi oil tankers, were damaged in mysterious "sabotage attacks" that further inflamed Gulf tensions on Monday (May 13) amid a standoff between the United States and Iran.In the face of growing international concern, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo scrapped a planned visit to Moscow to head to Brussels instead for talks with European officials on Iran.Tehran called for an investigation into Sunday's "alarming" attacks off the Emirati coast and warned of "adventurism" by foreign players to disrupt maritime security.Britain warned of the danger of conflict erupting "by accident" in the Gulf.US President Donald Trump warned Iran would "suffer greatly" if it does "anything"."I'm hearing little stories about Iran," Trump said at the White House. "If they do anything, it would be a very bad mistake. If they do anything they will suffer greatly."The US has already strengthened its military presence in the region, including … [Read more...] about Oil tankers hit by ‘sabotage attacks’ as Gulf tensions soar