The Iranian Foreign Ministry explained that Saudi Arabia requested the postponement of a meeting between Tehran and the Gulf states that was scheduled to be held in the Sultanate of Oman on Monday, in conjunction with preventing the highest Iranian nuclear official from attending a meeting in Vienna “under American pressure.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said that using the Yemeni file to postpone the meeting regarding navigation routes in the Strait of Hormuz is a “false excuse,” denying any Iranian involvement in the Yemeni issue.
Baghaei added: "Iran does not interfere in Yemeni affairs," noting that the Houthis are "completely independent parties that make their decisions based on their own interests."
Muhammad Ali Bey, an official in the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Sunday evening that the meeting was postponed “at the request of some countries in the region” and a joint decision between Iran and Oman, indicating coordination with Muscat regarding a new date.
The Iranian "Tasnim" agency blamed "external parties", claiming that Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were influenced by American and Israeli pressure.
At the same time, Iran announced, on Monday, that it had summoned the Austrian Chargé d'Affaires after the European country refused to allow the head of the Iranian nuclear program to participate in a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said: “The Austrian government’s refusal to grant visas to the delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran is a completely unjustified decision.”
He added: "It is clear to us that this incident occurred under American pressure, but that does not absolve the Austrian government of responsibility."
An American report stated that the highest Iranian nuclear official was prevented from attending the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, following pressure exerted by the Trump administration, according to the American Bloomberg Agency.
Eslami, Iran's vice president for nuclear affairs, was scheduled to address the UN nuclear energy agency on Monday, a US official told Bloomberg.
The Iranian Mehr News Agency reported on Saturday that the head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization had left Tehran to attend the conference.
An American official, who requested anonymity, told the American agency that the refusal to grant Eslami an exemption from sanctions to allow him to enter Austria came in response to American demands, despite the possibility that another Iranian representative with a lower job level might replace him.
The agency reported that US Energy Secretary Chris Wright intends to use this forum to issue a warning to Tehran, stressing that the US position is decisive and unequivocal, which is that "Iran should never develop or obtain a nuclear weapon."
On the other hand, Baghaei stated on Monday that reports about activities at the Jabal Ax site are unfounded, after US President Donald Trump repeated his threat to target it, saying that the United States is monitoring activities there.
Oil prices rose sharply as a result of the closure of a major pipeline in Saudi Arabia, with the price of Brent crude crossing $107 a barrel, as hopes for diplomatic progress in the region faded.
Saudi Arabia kept the main East-West pipeline, which extends 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) from east to west, closed throughout the weekend, after it was damaged by drone attacks on Friday.
The official media in Saudi Arabia published a video clip showing damage to homes and a mosque as a result of the latest alleged attack launched by the Ansar Allah group, supported by Iran, across the border in the Jazan Governorate bordering Yemen.
The Ansar Allah Houthi movement in Yemen claimed responsibility for targeting a Saudi military base after they took control of Perim/Mayun Island in the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Saudi oil traders told Reuters that the Kingdom will exhaust its export stocks if it does not restart its main pipeline leading to the Red Sea within days, which could lead to a loss of up to 4 percent of global supplies.
