- Iran was warned of possible retaliation, sources say.
- The Saudi Foreign Minister spoke with his Iranian counterpart.
- Iran's president apologizes to Gulf states for their “actions.”
Saudi Arabia has told Tehran that while it favors a diplomatic solution to Iran's conflict with the United States, continued attacks on the kingdom and its energy sector could force Riyadh to respond in kind, four sources familiar with the matter said. Reuters.
The message was delivered ahead of a speech on Saturday in which Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized to neighboring Gulf states for Tehran's actions, in an apparent attempt to calm regional anger over Iranian attacks that hit civilian targets.
Two days earlier, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and clearly laid out Riyadh's position, the sources said.
Saudi Arabia is open to any form of mediation aimed at reducing tensions and reaching a negotiated settlement, sources quoted the minister as saying, stressing that neither Riyadh nor other Gulf states had allowed the United States to use their airspace or territory to launch airstrikes against Iran.
But sources also quoted Prince Faisal as saying that if Iranian attacks persisted against Saudi territory or energy infrastructure, Saudi Arabia would be forced to allow US forces to use its bases there for military operations. Riyadh will retaliate if attacks on the kingdom's critical energy facilities continue, he said.
The sources said the kingdom had remained in regular contact with Tehran through its ambassador since the US and Israeli military campaign against Iran began on February 28, following the collapse of talks on Iran's nuclear program.
The Saudi and Iranian foreign ministries did not respond to requests for comment.
Drone and missile attacks against the Gulf States
The United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have been subject to intense drone and missile attacks by Iran over the past week.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was assassinated on the first day of the war. Tehran responded by attacking Israel and Gulf Arab states that host US military facilities, and Israel has attacked the Iranian-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
Araqchi said in an interview on Saturday that he remained in constant contact with his Saudi counterpart and other Saudi officials, adding that Riyadh had assured Tehran that it was fully committed to not allowing its territory, waters or airspace to be used for attacks against Iran.
Pezeshkian said Iran's temporary leadership council had approved suspending attacks on neighboring countries unless an attack on Iran came from those nations.
“I personally apologize to neighboring countries that were affected by Iran's actions,” he said.
It is unclear to what extent Pezeshkian's comments indicate a change. On Saturday there were more reports of attacks targeting Gulf states.
Additionally, in a sign of possible divisions within Iran's leadership, the Central Headquarters of Khatam al-Anbiya – the unified combatant command of the Iranian armed forces – said in a later statement that US and Israeli bases and interests throughout the region would remain targets.
The command said Iran's armed forces respected the sovereignty and interests of neighboring states and had not taken action against them so far. But he said US and Israeli military bases and assets on land, sea and air throughout the region would be treated as primary targets and would face “powerful and heavy” attacks by Iran's forces.
US President Donald Trump said in a social media post that Iran had “apologized and surrendered to its Middle East neighbors, and promised that it would not fire on them again. This promise was only made because of the relentless attack by the US and Israel.”
Two Iranian sources confirmed that a call had taken place in which Riyadh warned Tehran to stop attacks on Saudi Arabia and neighboring Gulf states. Iran, they said, reiterated its position that the attacks were not directed at the Gulf countries themselves but at the interests of the United States and the military bases housed on its territory.
An Iranian source said Tehran, in response, had demanded that US bases in the region be closed and that some Gulf states stop sharing intelligence with Washington that Iran believes is being used to carry out attacks against it.
Another Iranian source said some military commanders were pushing to continue the strikes, accusing the United States of using bases in the Gulf states and their airspace to conduct operations against Iran.
In recent years, Iran had repaired relations with its Gulf neighbors, including its former regional archrival Saudi Arabia. The diplomatic campaign imploded with the bombardment of drones and missiles launched by Iran's Revolutionary Guard last week.
