Saudi Arabia has the right to take military action against Iran, foreign minister says
· Yahoo NewsBy Timour Azhari
March 18 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia reserves the right to act militarily against Iran and any trust with Tehran has been shattered, the Saudi foreign minister said early on Thursday, after Riyadh was targeted by Iranian ballistic missiles.
In the harshest comments to come out of the Gulf kingdom since the war started, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan accused Iran of premeditated hostile actions against its neighbours, both directly and via an array of regional proxies which he urged Tehran to rein in.
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There are scant signs of de-escalation in the now three-week-old U.S-Israeli war on Iran. The conflict's spread has caused unprecedented disruption to global energy supplies.
In the latest escalation, Iran accused Israel of striking its facilities in the huge South Pars gas field on Wednesday. It retaliated by firing missiles at Qatar and Saudi Arabia as it vowed attacks on oil and gas targets throughout the Gulf, sending already elevated oil prices shooting higher.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday that bin Farhan's remarks were "unfair" and one-sided.
"This pressure from Iran will backfire politically and morally and certainly we reserve the right to take military actions if deemed necessary," bin Farhan told a news conference after a meeting of top regional diplomats in Riyadh.
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Interceptors were seen fired from near the Riyadh hotel where the conference was held, where foreign ministers from roughly a dozen countries including Turkey, the UAE, Jordan, Qatar and Syria gathered for a meeting on the Iran war.
Qatari, Emirati and Saudi oil and gas facilities were attacked on Wednesday, authorities in those countries said, after Iran said it would retaliate for what it said was an Israeli strike on a key gas field.
Saudi Arabia has come under attack by hundreds of Iranian missiles and drones since the start of the conflict, the vast majority of which have been intercepted, authorities said.
Wednesday's attacks marked the first time many in the city had heard blasts or received warning messages via text.
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Saudi Arabia's defense ministry said it had downed four ballistic missiles targeting Riyadh, and some debris fell near a refinery south of the city.
Saudi Arabia and Iran reestablished diplomatic ties in 2023 as part of an effort to calm tensions after years of enmity that saw them back opposing political and military factions in the region.
Bin Farhan said Saudi Arabia still preferred the path of diplomacy, but "if Iran doesn't stop immediately I think there will be almost nothing that can re-establish trust."
(Reporting by Timour Azhari. Editing by Jane Merriman, Gareth Jones and Michael Perry)