'Batant Attempt At Blackmail': Saudi FM Slams Iran Over Missile Attacks, Says 'Trust Completely Shattered'

Last Updated:March 19, 2026, 08:26 IST

Saudi Foreign Minister said that the Kingdom is not going to succumb to the Iranian pressure and still reserves the right to take military action against Tehran if provoked.

Amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, Saudi Arabia reiterated that its immediate priority regarding the current situation is to halt attacks targeting Gulf countries. Stating that the Kingdom is focused on protecting regional stability, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud slammed Iran for attacking the country during the regional ministers’ meeting and called the strikes on energy facilities “a blatant attempt at blackmail".

He added that Saudi Arabia still reserves the right to take military action against Iran if provoked.

“What I care about now is that the attacks on my country and on my neighbouring countries, that are not involved in this conflict, end. That’s all I’m interested in," the Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister said, adding that Riyadh would use all available means to stop the attacks.

“We are going to use every lever we have, political, economic, diplomatic…to get these attacks to stop," he was quoted as saying.

At the same time, Saudi Arabia warned that it reserves the right to respond militarily if necessary. Prince Faisal said Iran “doesn’t believe in talking to its neighbours", but instead “it tries to pressure its neighbours", adding that such tactics would fail.

He stated that the Kingdom is not going to succumb to the pressure, and, on the contrary, this pressure will backfire.

‘Trust In Iran Completely Shattered…’: Saudi FM

The Foreign Minister also said that trust in Iran has been severely damaged. “Iran’s attacks on neighbouring countries were premeditated, and what we are witnessing now confirms this," Prince Faisal said, adding, “What little trust there was has been completely shattered."

He expressed hope that Tehran would reassess its actions. “I would hope that they understand the message of the meeting today, recalculate quickly and stop attacking their neighbours."

He further accused Iran of targeting civilian infrastructure, dismissing its justification that the strikes were linked to the presence of US military bases as “unconvincing".

Describing the attack as coercive, the Saudi Foreign Minister said that Iran’s strike on its energy facilities was “a blatant attempt at blackmail".

(With agency inputs)

News world 'Batant Attempt At Blackmail': Saudi FM Slams Iran Over Missile Attacks, Says 'Trust Completely Shattered'

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