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Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has warned that Iran's attacks on Saudi Arabia and its neighbours in the region have destroyed any trust with Tehran.
Prince Faisal said Iran “tries to pressure its neighbours” with attacks. Saudi Arabia “reserved the right” to take military action in response to the repeated missile and drone strikes, he told reporters following a meeting of regional foreign ministers on Wednesday evening in Riyadh.
“What little trust there was before has completely been shattered,” said Prince Faisal. “So when this war eventually ends, in order for there to be any rebuilding of trust, it will take a long time. And I have to tell you, if Iran doesn’t stop … immediately, I think there will be almost nothing that can re-establish that trust.”
“We’re going to use every lever we have – political, economic, diplomatic and otherwise – to get these attacks to stop.
“The kingdom is not going to succumb to pressure, and on the contrary, this pressure will backfire … and certainly, as we have stated quite clearly, we have reserved the right to take military actions if deemed necessary,” he added.
Iran is continuing its retaliatory campaign against Gulf countries after the US-Israeli air assault against it began on February 28.
While Iran claims it is only targeting US and military assets in the region, the Gulf has been hit by more than 3,800 Iranian missiles and drones, many of which have struck civilian and energy infrastructure, including five-star hotels, airports and residential buildings. At least 20 people have been killed across the Gulf region so far, most of them security personnel or foreign workers.
Oil giant Saudi Aramco's Samref refinery in the Red Sea port of Yanbu was targeted in an aerial attack on Thursday, the Saudi Defence Ministry said. Qatar and the UAE have also reported a series of attacks on their energy infrastructure overnight after Iran vowed to retaliate against Israeli strikes on its South Pars gasfield on Wednesday.
“If Iran believes that the Gulf states are incapable of standing firm or responding, then its view is mistaken, and both political responses are available and non-political ones are available,” said Prince Faisal. “The Iranians continue to target the energy sector in the Kingdom and must realise that this has consequences.”
Prince Faisal added that Iran views its neighbours “with hostility”.
Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed four ballistic missiles launched towards Riyadh on Wednesday and an attempted drone attack on a gas facility in the kingdom's east.
Prince Faisal criticised Iran’s attacks on Riyadh. “The targeting of Riyadh while a number of diplomats are meeting … I cannot see it as coincidental. I think that's the clearest signal of how Iran feels about diplomacy,” he said. “It doesn't believe in talking to its neighbours.”
Interceptors were seen being fired from near the Riyadh hotel venue around the time the ministers gathered for the meeting, Reuters reported.
The Saudi Foreign Minister condemned the repeated “targeting of civilian sites” across the Gulf.
Unjustified attacks
Foreign ministers from the UAE, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey met to discuss Iran's attacks on the region.
Ministers condemned missile and drone strikes on residential areas and civilian infrastructure, including oil and desalination plants, airports, residential sites and diplomatic missions.
They said the attacks could not be justified and stressed their right to defend themselves under the UN Charter.
The ministers called on Iran to immediately cease its attacks, respect international and international humanitarian law, be good to neighbours and take steps towards de-escalation.
The future of ties with Iran will depend on whether it can respect “the sovereignty of states” and adhere from interfering in their internal affairs, they said.
Iran must also “refrain from violating their sovereignty or territories in any manner whatsoever, and [by] not using or developing its military capabilities to threaten countries of the region”.
