{"id":238682,"date":"2026-08-06T15:59:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T15:59:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/238682\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T15:59:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T15:59:10","slug":"iran-issues-warning-to-gulf-states-us-must-desist-or-youll-be-hit-hard-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/238682\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran issues warning to Gulf states: US must desist or you\u2019ll be hit hard"},"content":{"rendered":"

Iran has made a concerted diplomatic push with Gulf states, warning them explicitly that Tehran will hit their oil, power and water plants unless they persuade Donald Trump to end U.S. strikes on Iran<\/a> and instead seek a negotiated end to the war<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The warning envisaged attacks on the energy facilities, oil fields, refineries, electricity grids, water infrastructure, transport networks<\/a> and other strategic assets of Washington\u2019s closest Arab allies, according to a senior Iranian official.<\/p>\n

The message, part of a broader Iranian effort to deter further U.S. military<\/a> action by raising the prospect of severe economic disruption across the Gulf, was delivered through a flurry of high-level diplomatic contacts after Trump threatened on July 28 to strike Iran\u2019s energy network and infrastructure, the sources said.<\/p>\n

Two senior Iranian officials, two Gulf sources and a senior regional diplomat with knowledge of the discussions said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi spoke with his Saudi, Turkish and Qatari counterparts, as well as Pakistan\u2019s army chief. All spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.<\/p>\n

Araqchi urged Washington\u2019s Gulf allies to use their influence with Trump to dissuade him from launching renewed strikes, the senior diplomat said, warning that any attack on Iran would prompt retaliation against U.S. assets and critical infrastructure across the Gulf.<\/p>\n

His message was consistent in every conversation, the diplomat said: \u201cWe\u2019re ready to retaliate, but finding a diplomatic solution is the best way to avoid wider escalation and destruction across the region.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Iranian warning was unequivocal: if America targeted Iran\u2019s infrastructure, they would retaliate by striking Gulf energy facilities and other regional targets,\u201d one Gulf source said.<\/p>\n

The diplomatic campaign underscores how Iran is seeking to turn Gulf vulnerability into leverage, confronting regional governments with the prospect that any renewed U.S.-Iran confrontation could place the infrastructure underpinning their economies directly in the firing line.<\/p>\n

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman subsequently spoke with Trump, urging him to delay military action, return to negotiations, secure a ceasefire and pursue a diplomatic settlement, the senior diplomat and Gulf sources said.<\/p>\n

The warning was intended for every Gulf state, another Gulf source said, but was conveyed primarily through Saudi Arabia and Qatar. In recent years, Iran has repaired ties with its Gulf neighbours, including its former regional rival, Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n

Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia have all urged Washington to resume talks with Tehran and avert renewed conflict amid Iranian warnings that another round of U.S. strikes could \u201cturn the region into a fireball,\u201d the second Iranian official said.<\/p>\n

On Aug. 2, Trump said he agreed to cancel the attack on Iran \u201csubject to being able to rapidly make a deal\u201d.<\/p>\n

THREATS OF WIDER REGIONAL ESCALATION<\/p>\n

\u201cSaudi Arabia believes further escalation will only bring more destruction,\u201d the first Gulf source said. \u201cThat is why it urged Trump to give diplomacy a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

While urging Washington to pursue diplomacy, Riyadh also made clear it would defend itself if threatened. The second Gulf source said Saudi Arabia warned that any attack on its territory would be met with a military response.<\/p>\n

Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst close to the Royal Court, said the kingdom\u2019s assessment is that further escalation is unlikely to achieve the desired result. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Kingdom believes a combination of proportionate military responses and sustained pressure on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz offers the strongest path toward a practical diplomatic settlement,\u201d Shihabi said.<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s clerical leadership has repeatedly demanded the closure of U.S. military bases in the Gulf and called on Gulf Arab states to stop sharing intelligence with Washington, which Tehran believes has been used to facilitate attacks against it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey still remember Saudi Arabia\u2019s Aramco,\u201d he added, referring to the September 2019 drone and missile attacks on the Abqaiq and Khurais facilities that temporarily knocked out more than half the kingdom\u2019s crude oil production and exposed the vulnerability of Gulf energy infrastructure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe enemy continues to threaten Iranian infrastructure. If Iran suffers damage, it will inflict far greater damage in return,\u201d added the Iranian official who cited the target list including power grids and refineries.<\/p>\n

From Tehran\u2019s perspective, Trump now faces two unpalatable choices, the senior Iranian official said: escalate a conflict that could engulf the Gulf and disrupt global energy supplies, or accept a negotiated outcome that falls short of the decisive victory Washington seeks.<\/p>\n

One of the principal obstacles to an agreement, the senior regional diplomat said, is Washington\u2019s reluctance to allow Tehran to emerge claiming victory.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe United States wants something it can present as proof that it won the war,\u201d the diplomat said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Iran has made a concerted diplomatic push with Gulf states, warning them explicitly that Tehran will hit their…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":238679,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3],"tags":[1530,1529,2930,1368,34,196,17876,2540,69,392,153],"class_list":["post-238682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-iran","tag-circulated-defense-news","tag-circulated-military-times","tag-dn-dnr","tag-hegseth","tag-iran","tag-iran-war","tag-military-news","tag-military-times","tag-tehran","tag-trump","tag-us"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/117049397157694124","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238682\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/238679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}