While Israel prepares its response against Iran, the head of Iranian diplomacy, Abbas Araghtchi, paid a visit to Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Wednesday, October 9 and Thursday, October 10, with the aim of avoiding a regional escalation. In Riyadh, Araghtchi was received by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Ben Salman, known as “MBS”, before meeting Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed Ben Abderrahmane Al Thani in Doha.
“It is the responsibility of all States to maximize their efforts to protect our region from catastrophe, ending the genocide in Gaza and the aggression against Lebanon”declared the spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmaeil Baghaei, on his X account, after this meeting. Israel has promised a severe response to the attack carried out by Iran on its territory on 1Ahem October, with almost 180 missiles – some of which hit or grazed strategic Israeli sites – in retaliation for the death of their allies, the leaders of the Lebanese Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, and the Palestinian Hamas, Ismaïl Haniyeh.
The Gulf Arab states could find themselves caught in the crossfire in the event of an escalation between the United States and Israel, on the one hand, and Iran and the “axis of resistance,” on the other. In Riyadh, Araghtchi would have conveyed to the Gulf powers a warning from Tehran against the use of its airspace or US military bases in the region against Iran, according to the Reuters agency citing a senior Iranian official.
A “strong gesture”
US bases in the Arabian Peninsula – in Qatar, the Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait – could become targets of Iran or the “axis”, in case of extension of the conflict. The Islamic Republic also reportedly warned that any such action would lead to retaliation against these countries.
american news site axiosCiting Israeli officials, he reported on October 2 that the Jewish state could consider attacking oil production facilities in Iran in retaliation. Arab countries in the region fear that the Islamic Republic will retaliate by attacking its own oil infrastructure. In Yemen, the Houthis could resume their attacks against Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates, as in the past.
The meeting between Araghtchi and the Saudi sovereign was seen as a “strong gesture” of “MBS”. She testifies that “Saudi diplomacy is confident that Iran will not attack Saudi interests in retaliation, otherwise the discussions would not have reached this level”estimates Saudi expert Aziz Alghashian.
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