Gulf States Threaten 'Collective Response' to Any Iranian Aggression

Washington – Agencies: The Wall Street Journal revealed yesterday that Gulf states have warned Iran that they may respond militarily, individually or collectively, if their territories or vital facilities come under Iranian attacks. The American newspaper, citing intermediaries, reported that the warnings come amid Gulf preparations for the possibility of the United States resuming strikes against Iran and fears of a broad Iranian retaliation targeting the economic and civilian infrastructure of the region’s countries. According to the report, Tehran has threatened, through public statements and undisclosed diplomatic communications, to target American and Gulf interests in the event of a new American attack. The newspaper noted that Qatar and the United Arab Emirates conducted security drills involving airports, while Anwar Gargash, the UAE president’s diplomatic advisor, said his country hopes for the success of diplomatic efforts but is preparing for the worst-case scenario. Meanwhile, a senior source told Al Arabiya that the United States informed the Qatari mediator of its approval of the proposed plan, as part of efforts to advance understanding between Washington and Tehran. The source added that intermediaries are awaiting Iran’s response to the proposal, which was delivered yesterday, without disclosing further details about its content or the expected timeframe for a reply. For his part, an Iranian diplomatic source confirmed to Al Arabiya that Tehran remains interested in the diplomatic track but will not make any concessions during ongoing negotiations mediated by intermediaries. The source said the diplomatic track does not mean backing down from the conditions they have put forward, stressing that Iran has informed intermediaries that a response to its seven demands is a prerequisite for moving forward. The source added that his country does not trust the United States, viewing Washington as launching attacks while talking about negotiations, in reference to recent military developments.