Saudi Arabia warns Iran its patience is not unlimited, but one threat is raising fears of escalation

Saudi Arabia has warned Iran that Gulf patience is “not unlimited” as attacks continue across the region. As reported by Al Jazeera, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said regional neighbors have significant capabilities they could use if they choose to respond.

Prince Faisal delivered the warning on Thursday after meeting with Arab and Islamic foreign ministers in Riyadh to discuss the expanding war. He said he would not specify what would trigger a defensive action by Saudi Arabia, but urged Iran to “recalculate” its strategy and stop attacking its neighbors.

He also said the accuracy of recent strikes on Saudi Arabia and nearby states pointed to planning rather than improvisation. Prince Faisal said Iran had been building this strategy for more than a decade and described the attacks as part of a broader war plan.

The threat to Gulf energy sites is deepening the alarm

The warning followed a series of Iranian attacks on Wednesday that hit major energy infrastructure in the Gulf. Qatar’s Ras Laffan gas facility, the world’s largest liquefied natural gas production site, suffered significant damage, while the UAE’s Habshan gas facility was also targeted and operations were suspended after debris fell following a missile interception, amid the Strait of Hormuz requests.

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned what it called a blatant Iranian attack on Ras Laffan Industrial City. The facility accounts for about 20 percent of the world’s LNG supply, adding to concerns about how the conflict could affect global energy markets.

The UAE’s Defence Ministry said its air defenses intercepted 13 ballistic missiles and 27 drones. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence also said it intercepted four Iranian ballistic missiles aimed at Riyadh and two more launched toward the country’s eastern region.

The attacks were reported as retaliation for an Israeli strike on Iran’s South Pars gasfield off the coast of Bushehr province. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had warned earlier that oil and gas facilities in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE would face retaliation after that strike.

Prince Faisal said that while the war will end at some point, restoring trust with Iran will take much longer. He said Iran’s targeting of its neighbors had shattered trust, and the wider political fallout has also included Gabbard’s Iran reversal .