By Ragip Soylu in Ankara | Gulf countries have issued their “last warnings” to Iran and may be forced to retaliate if the attacks continue, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday.
Fidan attended a regional summit in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, on Saturday, where participants agreed to issue a strong joint statement criticising Iran for its attacks on Gulf states, particularly on civilian infrastructure, since the US-Israeli assault on Tehran began last month.
The Turkish foreign minister said the summit was convened to address a single issue: Iran’s attacks.
“The Gulf countries are questioning why Iran is targeting them in this war,” Fidan said. “They say, ‘We have nothing to do with the outbreak of this war; that is a separate matter.’ They also say, ‘The attack against us is unjust, and we need to respond to it.’”
Fidan said the Gulf countries had declared from the outset that they would not allow their airspace or bases on their territory to be used against Iran, insisting that they were not party to the war.
“They also state that Iran has attacked not only military bases but also civilian infrastructure and economic targets, and that this is deliberate,” Fidan said.
“The Gulf countries say that if the current situation continues, they will be forced to take countermeasures. At this summit, they also issued their last warnings on this matter. The recent intense attacks triggered this as well. The risk has increased.”
While Fidan and the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Syria were meeting in Riyadh on Thursday, Iran fired missiles and drones at the Saudi capital, which was perceived as a threatening symbol.
Vibe shift
Iran’s attacks on Qatari gas facilities and Saudi oil infrastructure this week in particular angered Gulf allies, prompting a reassessment of how to deal with Tehran.
Middle East Eye reported this week that Saudi Arabia had agreed to open King Fahd Air Base in Taif, western Saudi Arabia, to the Americans, underscoring a shift in how the kingdom and some other Gulf states are responding to the US-Israeli war on Iran.
In a phone call earlier this month, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed told his US counterpart, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, that the UAE was prepared for the war to last up to nine months, a US official told MEE.
Fidan said that while Turkey opposes both Israel’s aggression and expansionism and Iran’s actions aimed at spreading the war across the region, Ankara would continue using its diplomatic channels to try to stop the escalation.
“We do not in any way want this situation to evolve into a prolonged war that engulfs the entire region,” Fidan said, referring to the possibility of direct Gulf involvement in the conflict.
Fidan added that the war could lead to significant changes in the Gulf countries, saying that new efforts in the defence industry could come onto the agenda.
Ankara has emerged as a defence industry heavyweight in the region through major investments in fighter jets, tanks, missiles and electronic warfare systems.
Turkey has already established an ongoing defence industry cooperation with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE on drone technology and ammunition.
