Saudi Arabia reserves ‘right to take military actions’ over Iran attacks
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Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, says Iran “doesn’t believe in talking to its neighbours”.
PHOTO: AFP
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RIYADH – Saudi Arabia has not ruled out military action in response to repeated missile and drone attacks from Iran, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, said on March 19.
Speaking to reporters following a meeting in Riyadh of foreign ministers from the region, Prince Faisal said Iran “tries to pressure its neighbours” with attacks.
“The kingdom is not going to succumb to pressure, and on the contrary, this pressure will backfire... and certainly, as we have stated quite clearly, we have reserved the right to take military actions if deemed necessary,” he said.
Saudi Arabia reported more Iranian attacks on March 18 as Prince Faisal hosted his counterparts from about a dozen Arab and Islamic countries for talks on the fallout from the Middle East war.
Several strong blasts were heard in the Saudi capital on March 18, while the Defence Ministry said it had intercepted ballistic missiles.
“The targeting of Riyadh while a number of diplomats are meeting... I think that’s the clearest signal of how Iran feels about diplomacy,” Prince Faisal said. “It doesn’t believe in talking to its neighbours.”
He condemned the repeated “targeting of civilian sites” across the Gulf, dismissing Iran’s justification that it is targeting US interests in the region as “weak”.
“Neither Saudi Arabia nor the Gulf states would accept... blackmail, and escalation will be met with escalation,” he said.
A joint statement from the foreign ministers’ meeting in Riyadh condemned “the deliberate use of ballistic missiles and drones targeting residential areas and civilian infrastructure, including oil facilities, desalination plants, airports, residential facilities and diplomatic missions”.
The ministers “affirmed that such attacks cannot be justified under any circumstances and reiterated the right of states to defend themselves”, the statement added, calling on Iran to “immediately cease its attacks” and de-escalate tensions. AFP
