By Naeema Saleem — The Changer
TEHRAN — Iran has warned that neighboring states could face a tougher response if their territory or facilities are used in any future U.S. or Israeli attack, sharpening a regional deterrence message that risks complicating Tehran’s efforts to rebuild relations with Gulf governments after months of conflict.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Sunday that regional countries should reconsider allowing their territory or facilities to support military action against Iran. Tehran had already communicated its objections to governments it believes facilitated operations during the conflict, he said, while stressing that Iran expected its neighbors to respect principles of good-neighborly relations.
The warning goes beyond a routine condemnation of Washington and Israel because it places responsibility directly on countries hosting foreign military facilities. Tehran’s message suggests that in another conflict it may distinguish less between forces carrying out an attack and territory or infrastructure used to enable it, potentially widening the geographic consequences of another confrontation.
That position comes at a particularly sensitive moment for relations between Iran and the Arab Gulf states. Tehran has simultaneously pursued diplomatic contacts with its neighbors, and Baqaei said Iranian officials held meetings with almost all of the southern Gulf countries on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Iran’s warning, however, collides with a central argument made by several Gulf governments during the conflict: that hosting American forces did not mean they had authorized their territory or airspace to be used for attacks on Iran. Gulf states had sought to distance themselves from offensive operations and prevent their longstanding security partnerships with Washington from turning them into direct parties to the war.
The distinction became increasingly difficult to maintain as the conflict expanded. Iranian drones and missiles struck several Gulf Arab countries hosting U.S. military installations, bringing states that had tried to avoid direct involvement into the battlefield and increasing concern that another U.S.-Iran confrontation could again spread rapidly across national borders.
Saudi Arabia subsequently delivered its own warning to Tehran, while maintaining support for a diplomatic settlement. Riyadh’s message was that continued attacks on Saudi territory and critical energy infrastructure could force it to reconsider its position, underscoring how quickly the region’s attempts at neutrality can come under pressure when hostilities escalate.
The latest Iranian statement therefore exposes a broader security dilemma facing Gulf governments. Several depend heavily on U.S. military partnerships for defense while at the same time seeking stable political and economic relations with Tehran, leaving them vulnerable whenever confrontation between Iran and Washington intensifies.
For Tehran, the warning appears designed to raise the potential cost of providing logistical or territorial support for another attack. Iranian officials have increasingly signaled that a renewed military campaign would not necessarily produce the same response as previous rounds of fighting, with preparations reportedly considering a wider range of potential targets if large-scale attacks resume.
Yet broadening that deterrence carries its own risks. Threatening consequences for neighboring countries could undermine Iran’s parallel diplomatic campaign to persuade Gulf governments that regional security should be managed through cooperation rather than reliance on outside military powers.
Baqaei sought to balance those competing messages by emphasizing that Iran and the Gulf states are permanent neighbors. His remarks effectively combined an appeal for regional accommodation with a warning that Tehran would defend what it considers its national security interests if neighboring territory again becomes part of military operations against it.
The dispute also intersects with negotiations involving Washington. Iran is pressing for guarantees related to the Strait of Hormuz, commercial shipping and sanctions, while the United States has continued to emphasize nuclear issues. Tehran’s latest regional warning adds another question to that negotiating landscape: whether any future settlement can establish rules preventing neighboring territory from becoming a launchpad — or a battlefield — in another confrontation.
For Gulf capitals, that question may be as consequential as the nuclear negotiations themselves. Their challenge is maintaining security relationships with Washington without becoming exposed to Iranian retaliation, while persuading Tehran that military bases and alliances do not automatically amount to participation in offensive operations.
Iran’s latest message makes clear that Tehran wants that distinction settled before another conflict begins. The warning is therefore not simply directed at Washington or Israel; it is an attempt to redefine the choices Gulf governments would face in the event of another regional war.