Saudi Arabia is hosting an emergency meeting of Arab and Islamic foreign ministers in Riyadh on March 18, as the US-Israeli war against Iran enters its 19th day with no sign of a ceasefire, the Saudi foreign ministry said.

The talks come as Persian Gulf states face the most severe security crisis in decades, with Iranian retaliatory strikes having hit Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan since the conflict began on February 28.

Saudi Arabia alone has intercepted 439 drones and 36 ballistic missiles over the three-week period, according to state media reports issued daily.

Iranian representatives were not invited to the meetings

The meeting follows a flurry of diplomatic calls by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan with regional counterparts on March 17, including Algeria's Ahmed Attaf.

Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud also held discussions with Gulf counterparts on regional security.

The gathering builds on the GCC-UK foreign ministers' meeting held on March 12, which condemned Iranian attacks and welcomed UN Security Council Resolution 2817.

That resolution, backed by 136 member states, called on Iran to halt all strikes and refrain from threatening shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Gulf airports, including Dubai and Doha, have faced repeated closures, disrupting trade, travel and medical supply chains. The Strait of Hormuz remains largely shut, with an estimated $15.1bn in energy revenues lost since the war began.

The ministerial session aims to "deepen consultation and coordination on ways to support regional security and stability," the Saudi foreign ministry said.

No participant's list or formal agenda has been published.  Based on the diplomatic activity in the past 48 hours and the format of previous Arab-Islamic ministerial gatherings hosted by Saudi Arabia, the likely participants include the standing ministerial committee countries: Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, Indonesia, Nigeria and Palestine, plus the GCC states directly affected by Iranian strikes (UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman).

Azerbaijan's foreign minister is also reportedly heading to the event as it also borders the northern border with Iran. The meeting takes place as the US Federal Reserve announces its interest rate decision and central banks in the UK, eurozone, Japan and Canada prepare for their first policy meetings since the war began.