Gulf leaders convene in Jeddah to weigh fallout from US-Israeli war on Iran

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Heads of state and senior officials from across the Gulf gathered in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah on Tuesday for a summit aimed at addressing the regional crisis sparked by the United States-Israeli war on Iran.

The meeting unfolds while the White House weighs a fresh Iranian offer to bring the two-month conflict to a close and restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Around 20 per cent of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas was moving through the strait before fighting brought maritime traffic to a near standstill.

Images circulated by Saudi state media showed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receiving the visiting Gulf leaders and delegations on arrival in Jeddah.

The Saudi Press Agency reported that participants used the summit to review "a number of topics and issues related to regional and international developments", along with how to align their responses. A government source separately told AFP that deliberations were focused on "the current political and security situation in the region".

In a post shared on social media after the talks, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said the meeting "embodied the unified Gulf position toward the current situation and what it requires in terms of intensified coordination and consultation".

The summit follows weeks of Iranian missile and drone barrages aimed at Gulf states, launched in retaliation for the US and Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic that began on February 28. Those exchanges have inflicted heavy damage on key energy facilities across the region.