Iran is warning Arab nations not to assist Israel’s retaliatory attack
Iran has been urging Arab nations not to allow Israel to use their airspace as part of any retaliatory strike, two Gulf diplomats have told NBC News.
The diplomats asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.
Iran says countries that help Israel in such a way during any response to Tehran’s ballistic missile barrage could potentially become part of a war, one senior diplomat said.
Iran’s president and its foreign minister have been meeting with Gulf countries including Qatar and Saudi Arabia this week. Other Arab nations such as Jordan and the United Arab Emirates host U.S. bases and oil instillations vital to the world economy. The sentiment expressed by Iran is raising fears in the region that these could potentially become targets.
“The Gulf Cooperation Council is not interested in being caught in a cross fire,” one diplomat told NBC News. “Our focus has been on de-escalation.”
A second diplomat told NBC News that it appeared unlikely that any Arab nation would agree to allow their airspace to be used by the Israelis for a strike on Iran.
Iran’s message to Arab nations through diplomatic backchannels was first reported by Reuters.
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