Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi met his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Riyadh on Wednesday to discuss regional tensions.
He warned Gulf Arab states not to allow the use of airspace or military bases in the event of an Israeli attack against Iran.
A senior Iranian official said: “Iran made it clear that any action by a Persian Gulf country against Tehran, whether through the use of airspace or military bases, will be regarded by Tehran as an action taken by the entire group, and Tehran will respond accordingly.” The official said Mr Araqchi also emphasised “the need for regional unity and the importance of security stability”. The US has bases or troops in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Mr Araqchi was due to travel to Doha in Qatar and other regional capitals with the aim of ensuring their neutrality in the event of Israeli strikes on Iran in the wake of Iran’s launch of missiles at Israel on October 1st.
Tehran said this attack was in retaliation for Israel’s assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran in July and Iranian Revolutionary Corps general Abbas Nilforoushan in Lebanon in September.
While most of Iran’s missiles were shot down, Israel has said it will respond strongly to the attack. US president Joe Biden has asked Israel not to target Iran’s nuclear facilities or oil sector.
Mr Biden’s effort to discourage an Israeli assault on Iranian oilfields may have prompted Iran to use diplomacy – rather than an outright threat of attack – to press Gulf neighbours to adopt a position of neutrality.
Tehran has also said if Iran’s oil exports are halted it will not allow oil to be shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passage used by oil-producing states in the Gulf to ship exports to the world.
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Senior fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington Ali Afoneh told UK-based Middle East Eye: “If someone has assured Iranian authorities that their oil facilities may not be targeted, that would explain a change in behaviour.” He added: “If Iran feels more comfortable, this could be the result of US pressure on Israel, but also Arab pressure.”
Last week, Mr Araqchi visited Beirut and Damascus where he called for “simultaneous ceasefires” in Gaza and Lebanon. He also had his first meeting with six Gulf Co-operation Council counterparts on the sidelines of an Asian conference in Qatar. This also focused on regional de-escalation.
Iran, where most people belong to the Shia branch of Islam, and Saudi Arabia, which is predominantly Sunni, resumed relations in March 2023 after a seven-year rift. Before the war in Gaza, the Biden administration was urging Saudi Arabia to normalise relations with Israel. Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman said last month this would not happen until there was a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
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