Saudi Arabia warns Iran of possible action as Gulf attacks shatter trust

The Chronify

March 19, 2026

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has issued one of Riyadh’s sharpest warnings yet to Iran, saying Gulf states have shown restraint after recent attacks but that their patience is “not unlimited” as regional tensions deepen. His remarks came after a meeting of Arab and Islamic foreign ministers in Riyadh and followed fresh strikes on energy facilities in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Speaking at a news conference early Thursday, Prince Faisal said the precision of some recent attacks showed they were not improvised but carefully planned. He said Saudi Arabia and its regional partners possessed “very significant capacities and capabilities” that could be used if they chose to respond, while declining to say what specific action might trigger a Saudi military reply. Al Jazeera reported that he urged Tehran to “recalculate” quickly and stop attacking its neighbours.

The warning came after Iran and allied forces broadened their retaliatory campaign across the Gulf following Israeli strikes on Iran’s South Pars gas field. Reuters reported that Tehran warned Gulf energy installations to evacuate after Iranian facilities were hit, and said the confrontation has raised fears of a wider regional energy crisis. The report said threats now extend to major sites in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, with Brent crude rising close to $110 a barrel.

Qatar was among the countries hit hardest in the latest round of attacks. Al Jazeera reported that Doha strongly condemned what it called a blatant Iranian attack on Ras Laffan Industrial City, one of the world’s most important liquefied natural gas hubs, and said the strike caused significant damage. The outlet also reported that Qatari authorities later declared Iranian military and security attaches persona non grata.

In Saudi Arabia, the defence ministry said air defences intercepted ballistic missiles aimed at Riyadh and the country’s eastern region, while the UAE said it intercepted multiple missiles and drones and suspended operations at the Habshan gas facility after debris fell near the site. Al Jazeera’s live coverage said Prince Faisal told reporters that trust with Iran had been shattered and warned that rebuilding confidence after the war would take a long time, if it proved possible at all.

The latest confrontation reflects a wider shift in the war’s economic dimension. The Guardian reported that the strike on South Pars marked a major escalation because energy infrastructure had largely been avoided earlier in the conflict to prevent a global supply shock. It said the attacks on gas facilities in Iran and the Gulf have pushed oil markets into panic mode and intensified fears over the security of supply routes in and around the Strait of Hormuz.

Prince Faisal said Saudi Arabia believed Iran had been building a strategy for years that included targeting neighbouring states as a way to increase pressure on the wider international community. He said the current attacks showed that strategy was now being put into practice, and warned that if Tehran did not stop immediately, the damage to regional trust might become irreversible.