Kamal Ghorui
Saudi Arabia’s on Thursday said, the “little trust” Iran had rebuilt with its Arab neighbours was now “completely shattered” after a series of attacks across the Gulf. Speaking in Riyadh after an emergency meeting of Arab nations to address the severe regional escalation, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said patience with Iranian aggression was “not unlimited.“
“What I care about now is that the attacks on my country and on my neighbouring countries, that are not involved in this conflict, end. That’s all I’m interested in,” he said, adding that Riyadh would use all possible means to respond.
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“The Kingdom is not going to succumb to pressure, and we reserve the right to take military actions if necessary,” he said.Prince Faisal said the attacks appeared to have been planned and described them as a deliberate escalation. “Iran’s attacks on neighbouring countries were premeditated,” he said.Since February 28, Iran has launched missiles and drones targeting Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries including the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar. Iran has said the strikes are in response to US-Israeli attacks inside its territory.Saudi Arabia said four ballistic missiles were launched towards Riyadh on Wednesday, but all were intercepted. The Kingdom has so far intercepted hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles targeting its territory.Prince Faisal also said two oil refineries in Saudi Arabia were attacked, describing the strikes on energy facilities as “a blatant attempt at blackmail”.
