Gulf oil ministers met Sunday in Abu Dhabi but avoided discussing options to reroute oil as a precautionary measure to mitigate the impact of any blockade of the Strait of Hormuz .

The ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC, in their route meeting recommended the approval of a unified mining law and examined the United Nations' framework convention on climate change as well as Kyoto Protocol, the six-nation bloc said in a statement.

The GCC regional states--Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman--senior Gulf oil officials said this weekend that the ministers may discuss rerouting oil as Iran started war games Saturday around the vital oil route and after Western consuming nations Tuesday sought more Gulf oil in case Tehran comes under an international embargo. The strait, located between Iran and Oman , handles about 33% of all ocean-borne traded oil.

"We are concerned about Iran 's move and there are informal talks between ministers about it...but there is no need to take any action until something serious happens," a senior Gulf oil official said.

A rumor in mid-December that Iran was preparing to shut the strait was fueled by the announcement that it was preparing military exercises. The Islamic Republic has since denied the war games, which started Saturday, would lead to a blockade of the route. But the news comes amid heightened tensions between the West and Iran over its controversial nuclear program. An Iranian lawmaker warned last Sunday that Tehran could block the strait if it comes under an international oil embargo, citing proposed U.S. sanctions against Iran 's central bank.

In addition, European nations are considering a regional ban on Iranian crude and met with officials from Gulf countries Tuesday in Rome to seek possible oil-supply replacements.
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