Pakistan has issued a direct warning to Iran not to attack Saudi Arabia, invoking a mutual defense pact signed between Islamabad and Riyadh last September. But the warning has not stopped daily Iranian strikes on Saudi territory.
"Hvylya" reports, citing the Financial Times, that Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar this month warned his Iranian counterpart against targeting Saudi Arabia, explicitly citing the defense pact. Dar credited the intervention with helping keep "missile or drone attacks to a minimum" - yet daily strikes have continued.
Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan Air Base in al-Kharj, which hosts American forces, has been a regular target of Iranian fire. One US soldier has been killed. Two foreign workers have also died in the attacks.
Beyond Pakistan, Riyadh has been engaging China - the main buyer of both Saudi and Iranian oil - to pressure Tehran to de-escalate, according to Bernard Haykel, a professor of Near Eastern studies at Princeton University who speaks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The attacks have fueled speculation about whether Riyadh could ultimately open its airspace to US offensive operations or even join the conflict directly. A major strike on Saudi oil facilities - similar to the 2019 drone and missile assault blamed on Iran that temporarily halved the kingdom's crude output - could force the issue.
Washington and Riyadh signed their own defense pact when US President Donald Trump hosted Prince Mohammed at the White House in November. A person familiar with the matter said the kingdom was receiving American missile interceptors "to the degree that's possible," given high demand from other Gulf states and Israel.
Also read: Draining the Arsenal: How the Iran War Depletes Weapons Ukraine Desperately Needs.