Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has delivered a stern regional message, stating unequivocally that no security is available to Gulf countries that continue to host the military enemies of Iran. His post on X was made over a month into the Iran-US war and was directed personally at the governments of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and other Gulf nations. The message was one of the bluntest and most direct that Tehran has issued since the conflict began.
The Gulf region has been significantly affected by the war, with US military installations in Gulf countries serving as launchpads for strikes against Iran. Tehran has retaliated with its own strikes inside those countries, turning the Gulf into an active zone of military conflict. Gulf governments are now managing the consequences of hosting a superpower’s military operations in a region where Iran is willing and able to strike back.
Pezeshkian confirmed that Iran does not initiate attacks and only retaliates when its economic or infrastructure targets are hit. He told Gulf leaders directly that there is no security available to countries that host Iran’s enemies. The stern message reflects Tehran’s frustration with a regional status quo that continues to enable strikes against Iranian soil.
Pakistan’s mediation has been acknowledged as constructive and valuable by Tehran. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif revealed that Pezeshkian communicated the importance of trust as a foundational precondition for any peace negotiations. Pakistan has organized a multilateral ministerial meeting in Islamabad with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey to focus on de-escalation strategies.
Pakistan’s Ishaq Dar will lead the discussions and arrange separate meetings with Prime Minister Sharif. Iran has praised Islamabad’s honest mediation and remains open to diplomatic solutions under the right conditions. The Islamabad talks may be the most important development yet in the effort to end a war that has already caused widespread regional disruption.