Patience in Gulf won’t last forever: Saudi FM warns Iran

Saudi Arabia has issued a stark warning to Iran over its attacks on Gulf states, with foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud urging Tehran to “recalculate” its strategy as regional tensions escalate.

Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Prince Faisal said Riyadh’s patience was “not unlimited” and cautioned that Saudi Arabia and its Gulf partners possess “very significant capabilities” that could be deployed if attacks continue. He suggested the precision of recent strikes indicated they were premeditated and part of a broader Iranian strategy targeting neighbouring states, the Al Jazeera reported.

“The level of accuracy… indicates that this was preplanned and well thought out,” he said, while declining to specify what might trigger direct military retaliation. “The patience that is being exhibited is not unlimited… I would hope they understand the message and recalculate quickly.”

The warning followed a meeting of Arab and Islamic foreign ministers in Riyadh to discuss the expanding conflict, Al Jazeera reported. The escalation comes after Iranian strikes targeted key Gulf energy infrastructure, including Qatar’s Ras Laffan industrial city — the world’s largest LNG hub — and the UAE’s Habshan gas facility.

Qatar strongly condemned the attack on Ras Laffan, calling it a “blatant” strike on critical energy infrastructure. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said its air defences intercepted ballistic missiles aimed at Riyadh and the eastern region, while the UAE reported intercepting multiple missiles and drones, with operations at Habshan temporarily suspended due to debris.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had earlier warned that oil and gas facilities across Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE could face retaliation following Israeli strikes on Iran’s South Pars gas field, the Al Jazeera reported.

Iranian state media also confirmed that facilities linked to the South Pars field in Bushehr province had been hit, underscoring the widening scope of the conflict.

Reacting to the developments, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure, warning they would “complicate matters” and could trigger broader, uncontrollable consequences globally.

Prince Faisal said the conflict had severely damaged trust between Tehran and its neighbours, warning that even after the war ends, rebuilding relations would take years. “Trust has been completely shattered,” he said, accusing Iran of pursuing a long-term strategy of targeting regional states to pressure the international community.

With both sides hardening positions, diplomats warn the confrontation risks spiralling into a wider regional conflict, threatening energy security and stability across global markets.