According to the Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with the matter, efforts by the United States to restart negotiations with Iran and seek an end to the war are encountering resistance from major Persian Gulf oil-producing countries. These countries have recently shifted their stance on reaching a compromise with Iran. The Gulf states generally believe that Trump should not further escalate military action against Iran.
However, sources say that oil-rich Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are lobbying the Trump administration to maintain economic pressure on Iran and not accept any concessions that could ease sanctions or lift the US maritime blockade. Saudi Arabia is facing particularly significant pressure. As the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen begin to restrict Saudi Arabia's oil transport through the Red Sea, its crude oil export routes are facing new obstacles. Sources indicate that pressure from the Gulf states is just one of many factors hindering a US-Iran agreement. Other obstacles include: Trump's own inclination to maintain the blockade; Iran's concerns that the US is pushing for negotiations merely to buy time before resuming military action after the US midterm elections; and the escalating confrontational rhetoric from Iranian hardliners as US economic pressure intensifies.
