Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has warned Gulf states that the longer the current war lasts, the more they stand to lose, issuing a message that ties their ongoing losses directly to their decision to host US and Israeli military forces. His statement, delivered more than a month into the Iran-US conflict, is designed to create a sense of urgency about the need for Gulf governments to act. Tehran is making the argument that time is not on the Gulf’s side.
Gulf nations including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman have been absorbing the costs of the conflict for over a month, with no end in sight. The accumulating damage from both US military activities and Iranian retaliatory strikes has been significant. Gulf governments are now confronting the reality that every day the conflict continues is another day of mounting losses.
On X, Pezeshkian delivered his warning with urgency, affirming Iran’s non-preemptive military stance while making clear that retaliatory strikes would continue as long as Gulf territory was used to attack Iran. He urged Gulf leaders to act now to prevent further losses by denying enemy forces access to their territory. The urgency of the message was unmistakable.
Pakistan’s diplomatic engagement has been active and effective throughout the conflict, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif serving as a trusted intermediary. His meeting with Pezeshkian confirmed that Iran sees trust as the essential prerequisite for any formal peace negotiations. Pakistan’s role has been praised by Tehran.
A key multilateral diplomatic consultation in Pakistan is assembling the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey for strategic deliberations on the conflict. Their discussions with Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Prime Minister Sharif aim to produce a coordinated regional approach to de-escalation. The meeting is one of the most important diplomatic events of the war.