In a significant escalation of diplomatic pressure, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has warned Gulf nations that their own security is being endangered by allowing American and Israeli forces to operate from their soil. The warning was delivered via a post on X and marked one of Pezeshkian’s most direct addresses to neighboring governments since the conflict began. The war between Iran and the US has now been ongoing for over a month with no resolution in sight.
Countries including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman have found themselves unwillingly drawn into the conflict because US forces stationed on their territory have been launching strikes against Iran. Tehran has responded by targeting sites in these countries, creating a dangerous cycle of escalation across the Gulf. For many of these nations, the situation has become deeply uncomfortable diplomatically and militarily.
Pezeshkian was explicit: Iran does not strike without provocation, but it will respond strongly to any attack on its economic or infrastructure assets. He issued his Gulf neighbors a stark choice — either remove foreign military operations from their lands or accept the security risks that come with hosting them. This framing positions Iran’s retaliatory strikes as the natural consequence of Gulf inaction.
Diplomatic efforts are picking up pace in parallel. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif revealed that in his conversations with Pezeshkian, the Iranian leader stressed that trust must be established before negotiations can begin. Pakistan’s foreign ministry is now coordinating a meeting of senior diplomats from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey to develop a roadmap for de-escalation.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will host and lead these discussions, with separate meetings also arranged with Sharif. Iran has warmly acknowledged Pakistan’s peacemaking efforts in the region. The diplomatic window remains open, but how long it stays that way depends on whether military hostilities can be paused long enough for dialogue to take root.