Exclusive-Saudi has told Iran not to attack it, warns of possible retaliation, sources say

By Samia Nakhoul and Parisa Hafezi

March 7 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has told Tehran that while it favours a diplomatic settlement to Iran's conflict with the United States, continued attacks on the kingdom and its energy sector could push Riyadh to respond in kind, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The message was conveyed before a speech on Saturday in which Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian apologised to neighbouring Gulf states for Tehran’s actions -- an apparent attempt to defuse regional anger over Iranian strikes that hit civilian targets.

Two days earlier, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and set out Riyadh’s position with clarity, the sources said.

Saudi Arabia is open to any form of mediation aimed at de‑escalation and a negotiated settlement, the sources quoted the minister as saying, underlining that neither Riyadh nor other Gulf states had let the U.S. use their airspace or territory to launch airstrikes on Iran.

But Prince Faisal was also quoted by the sources as saying that if Iranian attacks persisted against Saudi territory or energy infrastructure, Saudi Arabia would be forced to permit U.S. forces to use their bases there for military operations. Riyadh would retaliate if attacks on the kingdom's critical energy facilities continued, he said.

The sources said the kingdom had remained in regular contact with Tehran through its ambassador since the U.S. and Israeli military campaign against Iran began on February 28 following the collapse of talks on Iran's nuclear programme.

The Saudi and Iranian foreign ministries did not respond to requests for comment.

DRONE AND MISSILE ATTACKS ON GULF STATES

The United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have all come under heavy drone and missile fire from Iran over the past week.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed on the first day of the war. Tehran responded by hitting Israel and ‌Gulf Arab states hosting U.S. military installations, and Israel has attacked Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah armed group.

Araqchi said in an interview on Saturday that he remained in constant contact with his Saudi counterpart and other Saudi officials, adding that Riyadh had assured Tehran it was fully committed to not allowing its territory, waters or airspace to be used for attacks against Iran.

Pezeshkian said Iran's temporary leadership council had approved suspending attacks on nearby countries - unless an attack on Iran came from those nations.

"I personally apologise to neighbouring countries that were affected by Iran's actions," he said.

To what extent Pezeshkian's remarks signal a change is unclear. There were further reports of strikes directed at Gulf states on Saturday.

Also, in a sign of possible divisions within Iran’s leadership, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters - the unified combatant command of the Iranian armed forces - said in a statement afterwards that U.S. and Israeli bases and interests across the region would remain targets.

The command said Iran's armed forces respected the sovereignty and interests of neighbouring states and had not taken action against them so far. But it said U.S. and Israeli military bases and assets on land, at sea and in the air across the region would be treated as primary targets and face "powerful and heavy" strikes by Iran’s forces.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in a social media post that Iran had "apologized and surrendered to its Middle East neighbours, and promised that it will not shoot at them anymore. This promise was only made because of the relentless U.S. and Israeli attack."

Two Iranian sources confirmed that a call had taken place in which Riyadh warned Tehran to halt attacks on Saudi Arabia and neighbouring Gulf states. Iran, they said, reiterated its position that the strikes were not aimed at Gulf countries themselves but at U.S. interests and military bases hosted on their territory.

One Iranian source said that Tehran had in response demanded that U.S. bases in the region be closed and some Gulf states stop sharing intelligence with Washington that Iran believes is being used to carry out attacks against it.

Another Iranian source said some military commanders were pressing to continue the strikes, accusing the U.S. of using bases in Gulf states and these countries' airspace to conduct operations against Iran.

Iran had in recent years mended fences with its Gulf neighbours, including former regional arch-rival Saudi Arabia. The diplomatic campaign imploded in the blitz of drones and missiles launched by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the past week.

(Editing by Timothy Heritage)