Tehran Will Respond to Any Gulf Country That Opens Its Airspace to Israel

Iran has warned its neighboring countries that it will respond if any of them decide to open their airspace to Israeli forces for strikes against Iranian territory. This declaration came after Iran retaliated against the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, and the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of the Lebanese Hezbollah, by launching dozens of rockets toward occupied territories.

A senior Iranian official stated that Tehran has conveyed this message to the Gulf countries, emphasizing that it would be “unacceptable” for any of them to allow the use of their airspace or military bases against Iran, warning that any such move would provoke a response.

The senior official told Reuters, “Iran has made it clear that any action from any Persian Gulf country against Tehran, whether through the use of airspace or military bases, will be considered by Tehran as an action from the entire bloc, and Tehran will respond accordingly.”

He added, “The message underscored the importance of regional unity against Israel and the need to achieve stability.”

The statement also stressed that “any assistance to Israel, such as allowing the use of airspace by any country in the region for moves against Iran, is unacceptable.”

Last week, the American news outlet Axios, citing Israeli officials, reported that Israel might target oil production facilities inside Iran in its response.

The relationship between Tehran and Riyadh has seen some political rapprochement in recent years, easing regional tensions, but their relations remain challenging.

Saudi Arabia remains cautious about a potential Iranian strike on its oil facilities, especially after the 2019 attack on a major refinery in Abqaiq, which temporarily halted more than five percent of global oil supplies. Iran denied any involvement in that attack.

A Western diplomat in the Gulf mentioned that during its meeting with Gulf states in Doha, on the sidelines of the conference, Iran emphasized its call for regional unity in the face of any Israeli attack and stressed that maintaining neutrality by Gulf countries would be the minimum acceptable stance.

The diplomat noted that Iran made it clear that it would closely monitor the response of each Gulf state if Israel launched an attack, as well as the use of American bases in those countries.

Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia host American military facilities or personnel.

In a related development, U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed Israel’s potential response to Iran last Wednesday.

The White House said that Biden and Netanyahu discussed Israel’s plans during a 30-minute call.

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre described the call as “direct and very constructive,” acknowledging that differences remain between them.

Netanyahu’s office confirmed the call without providing further details on the discussion. Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told reporters that they had “a positive conversation, and we appreciate the support of the United States.”

He added that Biden renewed his condemnation of Iran’s attack on Israel, urged renewed diplomatic efforts regarding Gaza, and reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah.