Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has stated that while the US-Israeli war on Iran will end one day, it will take much longer to restore relations with Iran as trust “has completely been shattered” due to Tehran’s tactics of targeting its neighbours.
Speaking at a news conference, Prince Faisal asserted that Iran’s tactics of targeting its neighbours had been premeditated, saying, “We know for a fact that Iran has been building this strategy over the last decade and beyond.”
“This is not something that is a rereaction to an evolving circumstance where Iran is improvising. This has been built into their war planning: targeting their neighbours and using that to try and put pressure on the international community.
“So when this war eventually ends, in order for there to be any rebuilding of trust, it will take a long time. And I have to tell you, if Iran doesn’t stop … immediately, I think there will be almost nothing that can re-establish that trust.”
Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud
Prince Faisal’s warning followed a meeting of Foreign Ministers from Arab and Islamic countries in the Saudi capital earlier in the day to discuss the expanding war in the region, which on Wednesday, March 28, 2026, saw Iranian attacks on Gulf energy sites, including Qatar’s Ras Laffan gas facility, where significant damage was reported, and the United Arab Emirates’ Habshan gas facility.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its “strong condemnation and denunciation of the blatant Iranian attack targeting Ras Laffan Industrial City,” located 80km (50 miles) northeast of the Qatari capital Doha, which is the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facility, producing some 20 percent of the world’s LNG supply.
Iranian state media reported that facilities linked to the country’s huge offshore South Pars field, located off the coast of southern Iran’s Bushehr province, had come under attack. Iran in turn, struck Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had warned earlier that oil and gas facilities in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE would face retaliation for an Israeli strike on Iran’s South Pars gasfield.
Iran’s warning of attacks was directed at Qatar’s Mesaieed Petrochemical complex, Mesaieed Holding Company and Ras Laffan Refinery; Saudi Arabia’s Samref Refinery and Jubail Petrochemical complex; and the United Arab Emirates’ Al Hosn gasfield.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence also said on Wednesday that its air defences had intercepted four Iranian ballistic missiles that targeted Riyadh and two launched towards the country’s eastern region.
Air defences in the UAE dealt with 13 ballistic missiles and 27 drones, according to the country’s Defence Ministry, while operations were suspended at the Habshan gas facility as authorities responded to incidents caused by fallen debris after the successful interception of a missile.
Saudi Arabia Warns Tolerance Of Iran’s Attacks Limited
Also, the Saudi Foreign Minister warned Iran that tolerance of its attacks on his country and those of neighbouring Gulf states is limited, calling on Tehran to immediately “recalculate” its strategy.
Warning that Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states have “very significant capacities and capabilities” that could be drawn on should they “choose to do so,” the Foreign Minister told the news conference that Iran had carefully planned its strategy for striking regional neighbours, despite denials from Tehran’s diplomats.
Prince Faisal said that the level of accuracy in some of Iran’s targeting “– you can see it in our neighbours as well as the kingdom – indicates that this is something that was premeditated, preplanned, preorganised and well thought out.”
“I’m not going to lay out what would and would not precipitate a defensive action by the Kingdom [of Saudi Arabia] because I think that is not a wise approach to signal to the Iranians.
“But I think it’s important for the Iranians to understand that the kingdom, but also its partners who have been attacked and beyond, have very significant capacities and capabilities that they could bring to bear should they choose to do so. The patience that is being exhibited is not unlimited. Do they [the Iranians] have a day, two, a week? I’m not going to telegraph that.”
Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud
He added that he would hope that Iran understands the message of the Foreign Ministers’ meeting and recalculate quickly and stop attacking their neighbours. “But I am doubtful they have that wisdom,” he said.
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