Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has drawn a direct link between Gulf prosperity and the removal of American and Israeli military operations from Gulf territory, arguing that no country can develop securely while hosting the enemies of its neighbors. His statement on X came as the Iran-US war continued past its first month. Pezeshkian targeted his message at Gulf governments, framing the issue as one of economic and political survival.
Countries in the Gulf including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman have found their territory entangled in the war due to US military installations on their soil. American forces have launched strikes against Iran from these bases, drawing Tehran’s retaliatory fire back into Gulf territory. The economic and social costs of this conflict for Gulf populations are mounting with each passing week.
Pezeshkian maintained that Iran does not launch preemptive attacks but will respond forcefully to any strike on its economic centers or infrastructure. He argued that Gulf nations cannot simultaneously pursue development and host a war being waged by outside powers from within their borders. His economic framing adds a new dimension to Iran’s usual security-based warning, making the case that prosperity itself is at stake.
Pakistan has been acknowledged by Tehran as a valuable and trusted mediator. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif revealed that Pezeshkian told him trust must be established as a precondition for peace talks to begin. Pakistan’s foreign ministry has organized a key multilateral meeting in Islamabad with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey to explore pathways toward de-escalation.
Pakistan’s Ishaq Dar will lead these ministerial discussions and also arrange meetings with Prime Minister Sharif. Iran has spoken warmly of Pakistan’s commitment to regional peace and acknowledged the complexity of its mediating role. The Islamabad talks may be the decisive step needed to transform diplomatic goodwill into a tangible framework for ending the conflict.