Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has delivered a sharp message to Gulf nations caught up in the Iran-US conflict, telling them to stop serving as tools of external powers whose military operations are being directed from Gulf soil. The statement was posted on X more than a month into the war and was addressed directly to the governments of the region. Pezeshkian argued that development and security are incompatible with this role.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar have all been drawn into the conflict through US military installations from which strikes against Iran have been launched. Tehran has retaliated with its own strikes in these countries, making the Gulf a live theater of war. Gulf governments now face the difficult task of managing their international alliances while dealing with the reality of being caught in Iran’s retaliatory crossfire.
Pezeshkian confirmed that Iran does not engage in preemptive military action but will always retaliate when its economic or infrastructure targets are struck. He argued that Gulf states, by allowing foreign military operations from their land, have forfeited their neutrality and accepted the consequences of hosting enemy forces. His message was both a warning and a call for regional agency.
Pakistan has emerged as a key mediator. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif revealed that Pezeshkian told him trust is a prerequisite for any meaningful peace talks. Pakistan’s foreign ministry is hosting a multilateral ministerial meeting in Islamabad with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey to discuss de-escalation and explore pathways to a negotiated peace.
Pakistan’s Ishaq Dar will lead the discussions and arrange meetings with Prime Minister Sharif. Tehran has praised Pakistan’s mediation role as genuine and constructive. The talks in Islamabad are widely seen as the most promising step yet toward bringing the conflict closer to a peaceful resolution.