The President of the United States, Donald Trump, opened the door this Sunday to the possibility of "staying" in Iran and "taking the oil, like in Venezuela," instead of withdrawing U.S. troops deployed around the Islamic Republic after a possible end to the war, which in recent days he has again linked to the midterm elections, the 'midterms', scheduled for next November 3.
"In the end, we will leave. Unless we decide to stay and take the oil, like in Venezuela," he stated before the gathered journalists during his visit to the Irish Open golf tournament, held in Doonbeg, on the western coast of Ireland.
The American leader hinted at this possible scenario after being questioned about a meeting initially scheduled for Monday between the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council --Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar--, as well as Iraq and Iran. "I don't care. It's their thing," he replied before showing some support for the meeting if it makes the participating states "happy," also incorporating Israel into the equation.
The meeting, which was to be held in the city of Salalah, in southern Oman, has finally been canceled, as announced on social media by the Omani Foreign Minister, Badr al Busaidi. "In the interest of consensus, the regional meeting scheduled for tomorrow (Monday) in Salalah has been postponed," he noted, emphasizing that in Muscat they remain "committed to fostering a dialogue that supports stability and lasting cooperation" in the Middle East.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry also confirmed the postponement, explaining that the intention to delay the meeting is "to ensure the appropriate conditions for a constructive dialogue that fosters sustainable agreements, supporting regional security and stability while simultaneously meeting the aspirations of the peoples for cooperation and peace."
According to the director of Persian Gulf Affairs at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Mohamad Alí Bek, the delay occurred "at the request of some countries in the region and by joint decision of Oman and Iran," as he stated in an interview with the Iranian agency IRNA.