Iran warns Gulf states of retaliation if US strikes
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- Iran has warned Gulf states it will strike their oil fields, refineries, power grids, water plants, and transport networks if the US attacks Iranian infrastructure, according to two senior Iranian officials, two Gulf sources, and a senior regional diplomat.
- Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi held calls with his Saudi, Turkish, and Qatari counterparts and Pakistan's army chief, urging them to use their influence with Trump to block renewed strikes.
- Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman subsequently spoke with Trump, urging him to delay military action, pursue a ceasefire, and seek a diplomatic settlement.
- Trump on August 2 said he agreed to cancel the attack on Iran "subject to being able to rapidly make a deal," after threatening on July 28 to strike Iran's energy network.
- Saudi Arabia warned that any attack on its territory would be met with a military response, even as it pushed for diplomacy.
- Iranian officials cited the September 2019 drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq and Khurais facilities — which temporarily knocked out more than half of Saudi crude oil production — as evidence of Gulf energy vulnerability.
- Washington's reluctance to allow Tehran to claim victory in any deal remains a principal obstacle to a negotiated settlement, according to a senior regional diplomat.
Why it matters: Iran has enlisted Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Turkey, and Pakistan in lobbying Trump to cancel strikes, with MBS personally calling Trump to push for diplomacy. The 2019 Aramco attack — which temporarily knocked out more than half of Saudi crude oil production — is Iran's proof that Gulf energy infrastructure is genuinely vulnerable to retaliation.
