Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan announced on Monday the deployment of about 1,000 more troops to the Middle East for what he said were defensive purposes, citing concerns about a threat from Iran.

The White House will not invite Israeli government officials to a Bahrain conference devoted to gaining support for a Palestinian economic plan in order to keep the event apolitical, a senior administration official said on Monday.

Israel will attend the US-led Mideast conference in Bahrain slated for June 25-26, officials announced Sunday.

Palestinians are preparing for a "popular uprising" in protest at US President Donald Trump's so-called "deal of the century" which is set to be unveiled at a Bahrain conference later this month.

Iran's supreme leader told Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday that it was pointless to reply to a message he had brought to Tehran from U.S. President Donald Trump, as a peacemaking visit was overshadowed by attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman.

In an interview with RT channel about Bahrain hosting a conference to pass the US-Israeli deal of the century, Abdulla Al-Junaid attacked Mustafa Al-Bargouti, secretary general of the Palestinian National Initiative, accusing him and the Palestinian leaders of latching on to positions of leadership for long periods of time.

The US Senate will witness two votes next week following efforts by Senator Rand Paul to prevent arms sales to Bahrain and Qatar, the Hill website reported.

Frustration and angry reactions in the Arab and Islamic world have been ongoing since Bahrain announced hosting Trump’s so-called deal of the century at the end of June. Widespread outrage has been raised against Bahrain, whose government, along with Saudi Arabia and the UAE have made a platform for publicly betraying the Palestinian cause and a corridor for normalization deals with the Zionist enemy.

The United Nations will not be taking part in a conference in Bahrain to present the economic aspects of a US peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians, a spokesperson said on Thursday.

A US-led conference on economic aspects of a Middle East peace plan will go ahead next month in Bahrain despite Israel's snap elections, the State Department said Thursday.

The Trump administration will go ahead with its Bahrain conference in late June to lay out the economic part of its long-awaited Middle East peace plan, a U.S. official said on Thursday, despite the start of a new Israeli election campaign.

Iran will not negotiate with the United States, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday, after President Hassan Rouhani signaled talks with Washington might be possible if sanctions were lifted.

The governments of United States and Kingdom of Bahrain issued a joint statement announcing that Bahrain will host an economic workshop entitled "Peace to Prosperity" in Manama on Jun 25 and 26.

Middle East Monitor website said that the tensions in the Middle East appear to be pushing up the price of oil, with a barrel of Brent crude now costing $71.75, an increase of 1.9 per cent. The cost of a barrel of US crude, meanwhile, is now $62.48, up 2.6 per cent.

Four commercial vessels were targeted by "sabotage operations" near the territorial waters of the United Arab Emirates without causing casualties, the foreign ministry said on Sunday, without giving details of the nature of the sabotage.

Saudi Arabia's stock market fell on Sunday, in line with most Gulf markets, after the US Pentagon approved the deployment of a warship and Patriot missiles to the Middle East.

U.S. acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said on Monday he had approved sending a carrier strike group and bombers to the Middle East because of indications of a "credible threat by Iranian regime forces," but did not provide any details on the underlying intelligence.

The U.S. Senate on Thursday sustained President Donald Trump's veto of a resolution demanding an end to military support for the Saudi-led coalition waging war in Yemen, in a victory for the White House's policy of continued backing for the kingdom.

The U.S. State Department has approved a possible $6 billion worth of weapons sales to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in three separate packages, the Pentagon said on Friday after notifying Congress of the certification.

The new U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, retired general John Abizaid, arrived in Riyadh on Thursday, an embassy statement said, filling a position vacant since President Donald Trump took office more than two years ago.