Saudi Arabia confirmed this Saturday that the Iranian regime attacked the capital of Riyadh and its eastern region through bombardments, warning sharply that it reserves the right to defend itself, even through direct reprisals. The Kingdom “expressed its most energetic condemnation of the blatant and cowardly Iranian attacks directed against the regions of Riyadh and the Eastern Province, which were repelled,” according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in an official statement. In what they described as an unjustified aggression, Saudi authorities affirmed that they will take all necessary measures to protect their territory and their citizens, “including the option of responding to the aggression.” Despite this military tension, the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, assured the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, that he will not allow the airspace or territory of his country to be used to carry out military actions against Iran. The Saudi government opted for diplomatic dialogue and assured that it will not allow military interventions by third countries in its jurisdiction. During a telephone call, as learned by the Argentine News Agency, the Saudi leader reaffirmed the stance of “respecting the sovereignty of Iran, emphasizing that the kingdom will not allow its airspace or territory to be used for military actions against Iran or for attacks from anywhere, regardless of their origin.” In this sense, Bin Salman stated that his country will support “any effort aimed at resolving disputes through dialogue,” a position that was positively valued by Pezeshkian, who showed himself ready to receive any process that leads to peace and avoids an open war. Netanyahu urged the people of Iran to take the reins of their destiny following the attack. With this determination, Riyadh joins the position of Abu Dhabi in prohibiting the use of its jurisdictional waters and skies to launch offensives against the Islamic Republic, in a context where the U.S. president, Donald Trump, has repeatedly threatened to intervene in Tehran. In turn, Iran has already stated that it will respond to any U.S. interference and warned that, if an attack occurs, it will consider all American military bases deployed in the region as legitimate military targets.
