Iran has warned Gulf Arab states that their oil facilities, power grids, water systems and other critical infrastructure could be targeted unless they persuade US President Donald Trump to halt strikes on Tehran and return to negotiations, according to officials familiar with the diplomatic exchanges.
The warning formed part of an intensive Iranian diplomatic campaign aimed at deterring further US military action by highlighting the risk of widespread economic disruption across the Gulf.
A senior Iranian official said Tehran had identified energy installations, oilfields, refineries, electricity networks, water infrastructure, transport systems and other strategic assets belonging to Washington’s closest Arab allies as potential targets.
The message was delivered through a series of high-level contacts after Trump threatened on July 28 to attack Iran’s energy network and infrastructure.
Two senior Iranian officials, two Gulf sources and a senior regional diplomat said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi discussed the issue with his counterparts in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, as well as Pakistan’s army chief.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions.
According to the regional diplomat, Araqchi urged Gulf governments to use their influence with Trump to prevent further attacks, warning that any strike on Iranian infrastructure would trigger retaliation against US assets and critical facilities across the region.
Tehran’s message was that it remained prepared to retaliate but viewed diplomacy as the best way to prevent the conflict from spreading, the diplomat said.
One Gulf source described the warning as unequivocal, saying Iran had made clear that attacks on its infrastructure would be met with strikes against Gulf energy facilities and other regional targets.
The diplomatic push reflects Tehran’s attempt to use the vulnerability of Gulf infrastructure as leverage, raising the possibility that a renewed US-Iran confrontation could directly threaten the economic foundations of neighbouring states.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman later spoke with Trump and urged him to postpone further military action, return to negotiations, secure a ceasefire and pursue a diplomatic settlement, according to the regional diplomat and Gulf sources.
The warning was directed at all Gulf countries but was conveyed mainly through Saudi Arabia and Qatar, one source said.
Iran has worked in recent years to repair relations with Gulf neighbours, including Saudi Arabia, following years of regional rivalry.
Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia have urged Washington to resume talks with Tehran and prevent another escalation, amid Iranian warnings that renewed US strikes could ignite a broader regional conflict.
Trump said on August 2 that he had agreed to cancel a planned attack on Iran, provided that a deal could be reached quickly.
Saudi Arabia pushes for diplomacy
Saudi Arabia believes further escalation would bring greater destruction without producing a decisive outcome, one Gulf source said.
Riyadh nevertheless warned that it would respond militarily to any attack on Saudi territory, according to another Gulf official.
Saudi analyst Ali Shihabi, who is close to the royal court, said the kingdom believed a combination of measured military responses and sustained pressure over the Strait of Hormuz offered the most realistic route towards a diplomatic settlement.
Iran’s leadership has repeatedly demanded the closure of US military bases in the Gulf and called on Arab governments to stop sharing intelligence with Washington, which Tehran believes has helped facilitate attacks against Iranian targets.
An Iranian official pointed to the 2019 drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq and Khurais oil facilities as evidence of the vulnerability of Gulf energy infrastructure.
Those attacks temporarily disrupted more than half of Saudi crude production.
The official said any damage inflicted on Iranian infrastructure would be met with retaliation intended to cause significantly greater losses, including attacks on refineries and electricity networks.
Iran seeks leverage over Trump
From Tehran’s perspective, Trump faces a choice between escalating a conflict that could engulf the Gulf and disrupt global energy supplies, or accepting a negotiated outcome that may fall short of the decisive victory sought by Washington, the senior Iranian official said.
A major obstacle to an agreement is Washington’s reluctance to allow Tehran to portray any settlement as a victory, according to the regional diplomat.
The United States is seeking an outcome that it can publicly present as evidence that it prevailed in the war, the diplomat said.