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Iran has warned Gulf states that any new U.S. attack on its territory would trigger retaliation against critical energy infrastructure across the region, five sources told Reuters, as Tehran seeks to raise the cost of military action by threatening Washington's closest regional allies.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday the United States had been "all set for the biggest attack since World War II" against Iran before he called off the strikes and agreed to a new round of talks.
The warning to Gulf states was delivered through a series of high-level diplomatic contacts after Trump threatened on July 28 to strike Iran's energy network and infrastructure, according to the sources who spoke to Reuters.
Two senior Iranian officials, two Gulf sources and a senior regional diplomat with knowledge of the discussions said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with his Saudi, Turkish and Qatari counterparts, as well as Pakistan's army chief.
Araghchi urged Washington's 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 energy facilities across the Gulf.
His message was consistent in every conversation, according to the diplomat: "We're ready to retaliate, but finding a diplomatic solution is the best way to avoid wider escalation and destruction across the region."
"The Iranian warning was unequivocal: if America targeted Iran's infrastructure, they would retaliate by striking Gulf energy facilities and other regional targets," one Gulf source said.
According to one Iranian official, Tehran's warning made clear that any new U.S. strike would be met with attacks on energy facilities, refineries, electricity grids, water infrastructure, transport networks and oil fields across the Gulf.
"The enemy continues to threaten Iranian infrastructure. If Iran suffers damage, it will inflict far greater damage in return," the official said, adding: "They still remember Saudi Arabia's Aramco", a reference to the September 2019 drone and missile attacks on the Abqaiq and Khurais facilities that temporarily knocked out more than half the kingdom's crude oil production.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) 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 told Reuters.
The warning was intended for every Gulf state, another Gulf source said, but was conveyed primarily through Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Iran has in recent years repaired ties with its Gulf neighbors, including former regional rival Saudi Arabia.
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 "turn the region into a fireball," a second Iranian official told Reuters.
"Saudi Arabia believes further escalation will only bring more destruction," the first Gulf source said, adding that "That is why it urged Trump to give diplomacy a chance."
While urging Washington to pursue diplomacy, Riyadh also made clear it would defend itself if threatened.
A second Gulf source who spoke to Reuters said Saudi Arabia warned that any attack on its territory would be met with a military response.
Speaking to Reuters, Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst close to the Royal Court, said the kingdom's assessment is that further escalation is unlikely to achieve the desired result.
"The 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," Shihabi said.
Iran's 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.
The senior Iranian official said Trump now faces two unpalatable choices: 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.
One of the principal obstacles to an agreement, the senior regional diplomat said, is Washington's reluctance to allow Tehran to emerge claiming victory.
"The United States wants something it can present as proof that it won the war," the diplomat said.
Trump on Wednesday reiterated his claim that the U.S. was set to launch heavy strikes on Iran this past weekend before he called them off and announced a new round of talks.
"We were all set for the biggest attack since World War II, and they called me, and they said, 'Please don't do it, let's talk,'" Trump said while speaking at a rally at the Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas.
Trump claimed the U.S. is "knocking the hell out of" Iran but said he would "rather make a deal, because I don't want to kill people."
Multiple sources told CBS News last week that the U.S. and Israel were preparing for a new round of joint strikes on Iran.
Hours later Saturday evening, Trump announced in a social media post that he had agreed "to cancel the attack."
He said he had received a request from "Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off" because the parameters of a possible peace deal had "been agreed to."
On Aug. 2, Trump said he agreed to cancel the attack on Iran "subject to being able to rapidly make a deal." On Tuesday night, Trump told reporters a deal was potentially close.
Trump said his administration had been prepared to launch the "biggest attack since World War II" but paused those plans after Iranian officials requested talks.
"They called me and they said, 'Please don't do it. Let's talk,'" he said.
"They say, 'We never said that.' You know what? The fake news knows they did say that, but we are talking. Let's see what happens, but they respect us," Trump added.
He maintained that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
Trump said oil and gasoline prices would drop sharply once the current standoff with Iran is resolved. "We've been bringing down prices, and as soon as this situation ends with Iran, oil is going to go down to the floor, gasoline is going to go down," he said.
Washington and Tehran signed a framework agreement on June 18 and launched negotiations toward a final deal before the talks stalled over disagreements on guarantees for security and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Last month, tensions escalated again as the U.S. carried out strikes inside Iran, while Tehran responded by targeting what it described as U.S. military facilities and equipment in several Arab countries, particularly Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait.
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