RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received a series of phone calls on Thursday from his counterparts in Qatar, Jordan and Kuwait to discuss rising regional tensions.
In separate calls, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, Qatari prime minister and foreign minister, and Ayman Safadi, deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Jordan, addressed efforts to de-escalate tensions and safeguard maritime navigation in the Arabian Gulf and Red Sea.
They also discussed diplomatic efforts to promote security and stability in the region, according to the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In a conversation with Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Prince Faisal exchanged views on the latest regional developments.
The calls came as regional countries intensified diplomatic efforts following the announcement of Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis of a blockade of Saudi-linked shipping in the Red Sea.
The Houthis claimed they attacked two Saudi vessels in the Red Sea on Thursday, sparking international condemnation and renewing concerns over security in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
