The President of the United States, Donald Trump, raised the possibility on Sunday of staying in Iran and also with its oil, “like in Venezuela,” instead of withdrawing the US forces deployed near the Islamic Republic after a hypothetical end to the war.
A recent event that in recent days the North American leader has insisted on placing around his country’s midterm elections, the so-called ‘midterms’, which will take place next November 3.
“In the end, we will leave. Unless we decide to stay and keep the oil, like in Venezuela”, declared the Republican leader to the media gathered during his visit to the Irish Open golf tournament, held today in Doonbeg, on the west coast of Ireland.
Trump hinted at this scenario after being asked about a meeting initially planned for Monday between the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council -Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar-, Iraq, and Iran.
“I don’t care. It’s their business,” he said before showing some approval for the meeting.
The council meeting, which was to take place in the city of Salalah, in southern Oman, was finally suspended, according to reports on social media by the Omani Foreign Minister, Badr al Busaidi.
“For the sake of consensus, the regional meeting scheduled for tomorrow in Salalah was postponed”, he said, immediately emphasizing that the country remains “committed to fostering dialogue that supports stability and lasting cooperation” in the Middle East.
The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed the fact, stating that the purpose of postponing the meeting is “to ensure the appropriate conditions for constructive dialogue that fosters sustainable agreements, supporting regional security and stability while simultaneously meeting the peoples’ aspirations for cooperation and peace.”
The postponement was reportedly agreed “at the request of some countries in the region and by joint decision of Oman and Iran”, according to the Director of Persian Gulf Affairs of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mohamad Ali Bek, in an interview with the Iranian agency IRNA.
It is worth noting that the postponement of the diplomatic meeting is part of Saudi Arabia’s decision to close, at least for now, its pipeline that has served as the main route for the region’s oil, avoiding the Strait of Hormuz.
At the same time, the strait continued to pose risks for crude oil maritime transport. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) announced on Sunday that a fire had occurred on a ship hit by a projectile the previous day.
The IRNA network shortly thereafter confirmed the “enemy attack” against a commercial ship off the Iranian islands of Qeshm and Hengam, adding that in this one person died, according to Bloomberg.
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