Saudi Arabia has urged a "rapid and decisive" response to recent attacks on oil tankers in the area.
Photo: AFP / INSA
Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih warned of a threat to energy supplies and market stability.
On Thursday two tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman, a month after four others were targeted off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
The US has blamed Iran, which denies any involvement. The attacks come amid increasing tensions between the two.
Oil prices jumped as much as 4 percent after Thursday's incident.
On Saturday, the head of the world's biggest international shipping association said some firms have ordered their ships not to enter the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman as a result of the attacks.
Jakob Larsen, head of maritime security at BIMCO, told the BBC military escorts for tankers could be organised if the situation worsened.
The US has produced a video it suggests shows Iranian forces in a small boat taking an unexploded mine off the hull of one of the ships following Thursday's attacks. But it has not provided evidence for Iran's alleged involvement in the previous attacks within UAE territorial waters.
Relations between the US and Iran have deteriorated significantly since US President Donald Trump took office in 2017. He abandoned a nuclear deal and significantly tightened sanctions on Iran.
What we know about Thursday's explosions
According to the US account of events, US naval forces in the region received distress calls from the Norwegian-owned Front Altair at 6.12am local time and from the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous at 7am, following explosions, and moved toward the area.
It said the USS Bainbridge observed Iranian naval boats operating in the area in the hours after the explosions, and later removing the unexploded mine from the side of the Kokuka Courageous.
The crews of both vessels were evacuated to other ships nearby. Both Iran and the US later released pictures showing rescued crew members on board their vessels.
BSM Ship Management, which manages the Kokuka Courageous, said the ship's crew abandoned ship after observing a fire and an unexploded mine.
However Yutaka Katada, the president of the ship's operator, Kokuka Sangyo, said members of the crew had reported "that the ship was attacked by a flying object".
The Kokuka Courageous was about 30km off the Iranian coast when it sent its emergency call.
The Front Altair was carrying naphtha, a petrol product, from the United Arab Emirates to Taiwan. The Kokuka Courageous was carrying methanol from Saudi Arabia to Singapore.
According to global satellite monitoring company Iceye, the damage to the Front Altair caused some oil spill in the waters around the ship.
Why are US-Iran tensions so high?
In 2018, the US pulled out of the landmark nuclear deal reached in 2015 that was aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear activities. The move was strongly criticised by a number of countries, including the closest allies of the US.
This grab taken from a video released by the US Central Command (USCENTCOM) on June 13, 2019, reportedly shows an Iranian navy patrol boat in the Gulf of Oman approaching the Japanese operated methanol tanker Kokuka Courageous and removing an unexploded mine. Photo: AFP / USCENTCOM
In May, President Trump tightened US sanctions on Iran - mainly targeting its oil sector. Iran then announced it would suspend some commitments under the nuclear deal.
In recent months, the US has strengthened its forces in the Gulf - saying there was a danger of Iranian attacks. It sent an aircraft carrier strike group and B-52 bombers to the region.
In response, Iran accused the US of aggressive behaviour. Those tensions rose markedly after the 12 May limpet mine attacks in the UAE.
The UAE blamed an unnamed "state actor". The US said that actor was Iran, an accusation Tehran denied.
While it is unclear why Iran would carry out a relatively low-level attack on the multinational tankers, observers have speculated that it could have been to send a signal to forces ranged against it that it is capable of disrupting shipping there without triggering a war.
- BBC
