Saudi Arabia calls for urgent meetings as Persian Gulf tensions rise

Saudi Arabia has called for urgent meetings of the regional Persian Gulf Co-operation Council and the Arab League to discuss escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf.

The Saudi Press Agency said King Salman had invited Persian Gulf leaders and Arab states to two emergency summits in Mecca on May 30, to discuss recent "aggressions and their consequences" in the region.

Tensions have soared in the Gulf with the US deploying an aircraft carrier and bombers to the region over alleged threats from Iran.

Also, four ships including two Saudi oil tankers were damaged in mysterious sabotage attacks in Fujairah, an emirate located at the crucial entrance to the Gulf.

That incident was followed by drone strikes by Yemen's Huthi rebels on a major Saudi oil pipeline, which provided an alternative export route if the Strait of Hormuz is closed.

Hormuz is a very narrow strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, through which the majority of oil tankers heading for the West must pass.