Bahrain's king met on Tuesday with the U.S. delegation participating in a workshop in Manama discussing a U.S. economic plan for the Palestinians.

A handful of Israeli journalists were making their way to Bahrain on Monday after getting special permission to attend a US-led economic conference on Israeli-Palestinian peace, hosted by the Gulf kingdom.

Egypt will take part in a Bahrain conference this week on Palestinian economic development in order to evaluate the proposed $50 billion "Peace to Prosperity" plan, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Monday.

The United Arab Emirates said on Monday minister of state for financial affairs Obeid al-Tayer will lead its delegation to a meeting in Bahrain on an economic blueprint for Middle East peace.

Palestinians don't need this week's U.S.-led Bahrain meeting to develop their country, they need peace, Palestinian Finance Minister Shukri Bishara said on Sunday.

Jordan said on Saturday it will send its deputy finance minister to attend the U.S.-sponsored Bahrain conference on Palestinian economic development next week.

Acting U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Jonathan Cohen told the U.N. Security Council on Monday that Washington's policy on Iran "remains an economic and diplomatic effort to bring Iran back to the negotiating table."

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held discussions on Monday with Saudi Arabia's King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on ensuring stability in energy markets and freedom of navigation, Saudi Arabia's ambassador designate to Washington said.

Iran said on Sunday it would not back down from its decision to scale back some of its commitments under 2015 nuclear deal with major powers, state TV quoted Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi as saying.

The United States envoy on Iran, Brian Hook, said on Friday it was "important we do everything" to de-escalate tensions with Iran.

Iran refrained from shooting down a U.S. plane with 35 people on board that was accompanying the downed drone in the Gulf, a Revolutionary Guards commander said on Friday.

An adviser to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Friday if U.S. President Donald Trump does not want war with Tehran, he should ease sanctions, as tensions rise between the countries following the downing of a U.S. drone by Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke on Friday to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about Middle East stability and the oil market, the White House said, after tensions with Iran prompted a rise in oil prices.

U.S. House of Representatives' Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Friday she was glad that President Donald Trump called off planned military strikes on Iranian targets, saying the collateral damage would have been "very provocative."

Hundreds of Jordanian Islamists marched in the capital on Friday to denounce Washington's peace plan to end the Arab-Israeli conflict and demand their government boycott a conference in Bahrain next week that will examine the project.

The Saudi Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper said that a former general in the Israeli army will represent Israel in the upcoming economic workshop in Bahrain which will discuss the economic aspect of "deal of the century".

Following mediation by Jared Kushner, adviser and son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, Bahrain announced that it would allow six Israeli media outlets to cover the US-led "Bahrain Workshop" scheduled for next week.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniya said Thursday his Palestinian movement rejected next week's US-sponsored Middle East economic conference in Bahrain as it would amount to Arab "normalisation" of ties with Israel.

A Yemeni rebel strike targeted a desalination plant in the southwestern Saudi province of Jizan, a Riyadh-led military coalition fighting the rebels said Thursday.

Palestinian businessmen boycotting the Trump administration's Bahrain workshop designed to encourage investment in the territories say only a diplomatic path to statehood can end decades of conflict with Israel.