Gulf nations have requested the U.S. to stop Israel from attacking Iranian oil facilities.
According to a Reuters report on Thursday, citing three sources from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, they are acting out of concern that their own oil facilities could be targeted if the conflict escalates.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, all oil-producing nations, have been trying to avoid getting entangled in recent Middle Eastern tensions. As part of these efforts, they have restricted Israeli missiles from passing through their airspace to attack Iran.
In early October, after Iran launched over 180 ballistic missiles toward Israel, Israel issued a warning of retaliation. Some speculate that Israel may target Iranian oil or nuclear facilities. While it remains unclear how Israel will respond, they have yet to take any significant action.
Previously, Iran issued a warning that it could not guarantee the safety of Saudi oil facilities if Israel were to launch an attack on Iran.
Iran also made it clear that allied forces in Yemen, the Houthi rebels, and Iraq would join the attack if they received regional support from Gulf nations. Earlier, on Wednesday, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, considered the most powerful figure in Saudi Arabia, met with Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister.
The White House declined to comment on this. However, President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the day before to discuss Israel’s potential retaliatory actions.
Most Commented