Iran to Gulf States: Don’t Serve as Arenas for US Attacks

By Staff, Agencies

Iran has warned that Arab states in the Middle East are legitimate targets for retaliatory strikes because they host US military bases.

The US continued striking targets in Iran early on Monday local time, marking the fourth consecutive night of bombardment. On Sunday, Iran responded by firing missiles and drones at US military sites in Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.

In a statement carried by the media outlet ISNA late on Sunday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the “barbaric” US attacks and accused the Gulf monarchies of turning their countries into “an arena for its illegal and criminal war against the Iranian nation.”

“The neighboring countries are obliged under international law to prevent the aggressor from using their territory and facilities to carry out military aggression against Iran,” the ministry added.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on all sides to “exercise maximum restraint, avoid further escalatory action, and take immediate steps to de-escalate.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei responded by saying:

“Iran does not ‘attack.’ Iran’s strikes on US military bases and assets stationed in the southern Gulf constitute a legitimate and lawful exercise of its inherent right to self-defense under international law,” he wrote on X on Sunday.