Iran warned Gulf governments that any fresh US attack on its territory would bring retaliatory strikes against Gulf energy infrastructure and US military installations in the region, five people familiar with the discussions said.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi delivered the warning in calls with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey and with Pakistan’s army chief; one Gulf source said it was meant for all Gulf states but mainly passed through Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The contacts followed President Donald Trump’s 28 July threat to strike Iran’s energy sector and infrastructure, and Araghchi urged Gulf countries to use their influence over Trump to prevent new attacks, saying diplomacy was the best way to avoid a larger conflict and destruction.
Iranian officials warned that refineries, power grids, water supply systems, transport networks and oil fields could be targeted in retaliation, and that a new US attack could turn the entire region into a “fireball.”
After the warning, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke to Trump and urged him to suspend military action, preserve the ceasefire and return to negotiations; Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia also asked Washington to resume talks with Tehran.
Saudi Arabia, while backing a diplomatic solution, signaled that any attack on its territory would draw a military response; an analyst close to the Saudi royal family said Riyadh assesses that further military escalation would not deliver desired results.
On 2 August, Trump said he had agreed to abandon plans to strike Iran if a quick deal were possible; a senior regional diplomat said a major obstacle was Washington’s desire for an outcome it could present as proof of victory in war.
The warning came against the backdrop of a 2019 drone and missile attack on Saudi Aramco’s Abqaiq and Khurais facilities that temporarily halted more than half of Saudi crude output.