Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Saudi Arabia on Saturday that any aggression by the United States or Israel — or participation by regional countries in such action — would be met with a “decisive and proportionate response” from Iran’s armed forces, according to a statement from Araghchi’s office.
Araghchi delivered the warning in a phone call with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, as part of a broader round of diplomatic calls with regional foreign ministers, including those of Turkey and Pakistan, according to Iranian officials. Iran said it seeks good-neighborly relations with Gulf states while asserting its right to self-defense under international law, and has repeatedly warned regional countries against allowing their territory to be used for strikes on Iranian soil. There was no immediate public response from Saudi Arabia to Saturday’s warning.
The call came hours before President Donald Trump announced that Middle Eastern allies had reached the outlines of a deal to end the five-month war between Iran and the U.S.-Israeli side, and that Washington would hold off on further strikes for now. Trump’s announcement followed a separate call earlier Saturday between him and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in which the crown prince raised concerns about a potential U.S. escalation and its risk to Gulf energy infrastructure.
The exchange underscores the fragility of the emerging truce: Saudi Arabia has previously said it does not seek conflict with Tehran but reserves the right to respond to threats against its territory, and the kingdom has accused Iran-aligned groups of striking its oil facilities and shipping in the Red Sea in the past.
