DUBAI – Gulf states are lobbying Washington to stop Israel from attacking Iran’s oil sites, because they are concerned their own oil facilities could come under fire from Tehran’s proxies if the conflict escalates, three Gulf sources told Reuters.

As part of their attempts to avoid being caught in the crossfire, Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are also refusing to let Israel fly over their airspace for any attack on Iran and have conveyed this to Washington, the three sources close to government circles said.

Israel has promised Iran will pay for its missile attack last week, while Tehran has said any retaliation would be met with vast destruction, raising fears of a wider war in the region that could suck in the United States. The moves by the Gulf states come after a diplomatic push by non-Arab Shi’ite Iran to persuade its Sunni Gulf neighbours to use their influence with Washington amid rising concerns Israel could target Iran’s oil production facilities.

During meetings this week, Iran warned Saudi Arabia it could not guarantee the safety of the Gulf kingdom’s oil facilities if Israel were given any assistance in carrying out an attack, a senior Iranian official and an Iranian diplomat told Reuters. Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst close to the Saudi royal court, said: “The Iranians have stated: ‘If the Gulf states open up their airspace to Israel, that would be an act of war’.” The diplomat said Tehran had sent a clear message to Riyadh that its allies in countries such as Iraq or Yemen might respond, if there was any regional support for Israel against Iran.

A potential Israeli strike was the focus of talks on Wednesday between Saudi de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who was on a Gulf tour to rally support, Gulf and Iranian sources said. The Iranian minister’s visit, along with Saudi-American communications at defence ministry level, are part of a coordinated effort to address the crisis, a Gulf source close to government circles told Reuters. A person in Washington familiar with the discussions confirmed that Gulf officials had been in touch with U.S. counterparts to express concern about the potential scope of Israel’s expected retaliation. (Reuters) …[+]