Mohammad Javad Zarif offered an initially high price for such negotiations – the halt of American arms sales to both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two key U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf.
Author: Jon Gambrell, Associated Press
Iran crisis: US planes barred over parts of the Mideast; global airlines reroute flights after drone downed
The Persian Gulf is home to some of the world’s top long-haul carriers, who already have been battered by Trump’s travel bans targeting a group of predominantly Muslim countries.
Trump adviser John Bolton accuses Iran of seeking nuclear arms; claims it ‘almost certainly’ sabotaged ships
Bolton claimed – without offering evidence – that the alleged sabotage of four oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates came from naval mines placed “almost certainly by Iran.”
 …
Qatar will pull out of OPEC amid tension with Saudi Arabia
The surprise announcement again throws into question the role of the cartel after needing non-members to push through a production cut in 2016 after prices crashed below $30 a barrel.
UAE pardons British academic convicted of spying
The announcement on Matthew Hedges’ upcoming release ends a diplomatic headache for the UAE, a staunch American and British ally in the Mideast.