Iran has warned Gulf states that it will target their oil, power and water infrastructure if they fail to persuade US President Donald Trump to halt military strikes on Iran and pursue a negotiated settlement instead, according to officials familiar with the matter.
The warning, delivered as part of an intensive diplomatic campaign, envisages attacks on energy facilities, oil fields, refineries, electricity grids, water infrastructure, transport networks and other strategic assets in Washington's closest Arab allies, a senior Iranian official said.
The message was conveyed through a series of high-level diplomatic contacts after Trump threatened on July 28 to strike Iran's energy network and other critical infrastructure, sources said.
Two senior Iranian officials, two Gulf sources and a senior regional diplomat familiar with the discussions said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi spoke with his Saudi, Turkish and Qatari counterparts, as well as Pakistan's army chief. All requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
According to the senior diplomat, Araqchi urged Gulf allies of Washington to use their influence with Trump to prevent renewed US strikes, warning that any attack on Iran would trigger retaliation against US assets and critical infrastructure across the Gulf.
His message was consistent throughout the discussions, the diplomat said: "We're ready to retaliate, but finding a diplomatic solution is the best way to avoid wider escalation and destruction across the region."
"The Iranian warning was unequivocal: if America targeted Iran's infrastructure, they would retaliate by striking Gulf energy facilities and other regional targets," one Gulf source said.
The diplomatic effort highlights Iran's attempt to use the Gulf's economic vulnerability as leverage by warning regional governments that any renewed US-Iran confrontation could place the infrastructure underpinning their economies directly at risk.
According to the senior diplomat and Gulf sources, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman later spoke with Trump, urging him to delay military action, return to negotiations, secure a ceasefire and pursue a diplomatic settlement.
Another Gulf source said the warning was intended for all Gulf states but was conveyed primarily through Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Iran has in recent years restored ties with several Gulf neighbours, including former regional rival Saudi Arabia.
Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia have all urged Washington to resume talks with Tehran and avoid renewed conflict amid Iranian warnings that another round of US strikes could "turn the region into a fireball", the second Iranian official said.
On August 2, Trump said he had agreed to cancel the planned attack on Iran "subject to being able to rapidly make a deal".
"Saudi Arabia believes further escalation will only bring more destruction," the first Gulf source said. "That is why it urged Trump to give diplomacy a chance."
While encouraging Washington to pursue diplomacy, Riyadh also made clear it would defend itself if threatened. The second Gulf source said Saudi Arabia warned that any attack on its territory would be met with a military response.
Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst close to the Royal Court, said the kingdom believes further escalation is unlikely to produce the desired outcome.
"The Kingdom believes a combination of proportionate military responses and sustained pressure on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz offers the strongest path toward a practical diplomatic settlement," Shihabi said.
Iran's clerical leadership has repeatedly demanded the closure of US military bases in the Gulf and called on Gulf Arab states to stop sharing intelligence with Washington, which Tehran believes has been used to facilitate attacks against it.
"They still remember Saudi Arabia's Aramco," the Iranian official said, referring to the September 2019 drone and missile attacks on the Abqaiq and Khurais facilities that temporarily knocked out more than half of the kingdom's crude oil production and exposed the vulnerability of Gulf energy infrastructure.
"The enemy continues to threaten Iranian infrastructure. If Iran suffers damage, it will inflict far greater damage in return," the official added, saying Iran's potential target list includes power grids and refineries.
From Tehran's perspective, Trump now faces two difficult choices, the senior Iranian official said: escalate a conflict that could engulf the Gulf and disrupt global energy supplies, or accept a negotiated outcome that falls short of the decisive victory Washington seeks.
One of the main obstacles to an agreement, the senior regional diplomat said, is Washington's reluctance to allow Tehran to emerge claiming victory.
"The United States wants something it can present as proof that it won the war," the diplomat said.