Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Dr. Abdullatif Al Zayani held talks in Riyadh on Monday with Commander of the US Fifth Fleet, Admiral James Malloy.
Discussions tackled American efforts to protect marine navigation and shipping routes in the Arabian Gulf and Red.
They also addressed joint defense ties and ways to bolster Gulf cooperation.
In addition, discussions focused on Washington’s efforts to garner regional and international support for a naval mission in the Gulf aimed at ensuring the safety of energy routes and protecting the global economy.
The United States is seeking to put together a maritime security mission in the Gulf to protect merchant vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran seized a British-flagged vessel.
Tanker traffic through the Strait - through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes - has become the focus for a standoff between Iran and the United States, which has beefed up its military presence in the Gulf since May.
Last month, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized a British tanker, Stena Impero, near the Strait of Hormuz for alleged marine violations. That came two weeks after Britain seized an Iranian oil tanker near Gibraltar, accusing it of violating sanctions on Syria.
