DOHA: Qatar has not been invited to two summits proposed by Saudi King Salman to discuss the implications of Houthi drone attacks on oil installations in Saudi Arabia and attacks on four vessels, including two Saudi oil tankers, off the coast of the UAE, Al Jazeera has reported.
The Saudi Press Agency said two days ago King Salman had invited Gulf leaders and Arab states to two emergency summits in Makkah on May 30 to discuss recent “aggressions and their consequences” in the region.
“Qatar, which is still isolated from its neighbours, did not receive an invitation to attend the two summits,” the Director of Qatar’s Foreign Ministry Information Office said in a tweet on Monday, citing Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi.
Saudi Arabia has accused Iran of ordering the drone attacks on two oil pumping stations in the kingdom, claimed by Yemen’s Houthis. Iran has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attacks.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, the UAE Foreign Ministry said: “The current critical circumstances entail a unified Arab and Gulf stance towards the besetting challenges and risks.”
US President Donald Trump has ratcheted up the tension in the region by issuing a direct threat to Iran, suggesting that the Islamic republic will be destroyed if it attacks his country’s interests.