Tell Trump to desist or we hit you hard: Iran warns Gulf states

Iran has made a concerted diplomatic push with Gulf states, warning them explicitly that Tehran will ​hit their oil, power and water plants unless they convince Donald Trump to end US strikes on Iran and instead seek a negotiated end to the war.

The ‌warning envisaged attacks on the energy facilities, oil fields, refineries, electricity grids, water infrastructure, transport networks and other strategic assets of Washington's closest Arab allies, according to a senior Iranian official.

The message, part of a broader Iranian effort to deter further US military action by raising the prospect of severe economic disruption across the Gulf, was delivered through a flurry of high-level diplomatic contacts after Trump threatened on July 28 to strike Iran's energy network and infrastructure, ​the sources said.

Two senior Iranian officials, two Gulf sources and a senior regional diplomat with knowledge of the discussions said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with his Saudi, ​Turkish and Qatari counterparts, as well as Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir. All spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Araghchi urged Washington's ⁠Gulf allies to use their influence with Trump to dissuade him from launching renewed strikes, the senior diplomat said, warning that any attack on Iran would prompt retaliation against US assets and ​critical infrastructure across the Gulf.

His message was consistent in every conversation, the diplomat said: "We're ready to retaliate, but finding a diplomatic solution is the best way to avoid wider escalation and destruction across the ​region."

"The Iranian warning was unequivocal: if America targeted Iran's infrastructure, they would retaliate by striking Gulf energy facilities and other regional targets," one Gulf source said.

The diplomatic campaign underscores how Iran is seeking to turn Gulf vulnerability into leverage, confronting regional governments with the prospect that any renewed US-Iran confrontation could place the infrastructure underpinning their economies directly in the firing line.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman subsequently spoke with Trump, urging him to delay ​military action, return to negotiations, secure a ceasefire and pursue a diplomatic settlement, the senior diplomat and Gulf sources said.

The warning was intended for every Gulf state, another Gulf source said, but was ​conveyed primarily through Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Iran has in recent years repaired ties with its Gulf neighbours, including former regional rival Saudi Arabia.

Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia have all urged Washington to resume talks with ‌Tehran and ⁠avert renewed conflict amid Iranian warnings that another round of US strikes could "turn the region into a fireball", the second Iranian official said.

On August 2, Trump said he agreed to cancel the attack on Iran "subject to being able to rapidly make a deal".