Saudi Arabia Has Proposed A Non-aggression Pact Between Iran And Middle Eastern Countries
- 15.05.2026, 8:54
To stabilize the situation after the end of the war.
Saudi Arabia has proposed a non-aggression pact between Middle Eastern countries and Iran to stabilize the situation after the end of the war, knowledgeable sources told Financial Times (FT).
The agreement could be similar to the Helsinki Accords, which the US, European countries and the USSR signed in 1975 to reduce Cold War tensions, they said.
One Arab diplomat speaking to the publication said most Middle Eastern states would support such a decision. They fear that Iran will remain in a weakened state after the war but will still pose a threat to its neighbors, especially against the backdrop of a reduced U.S. presence. Tehran is also interested in such an agreement, as it has long tried to convey to the US and the West the idea that the region should manage its own affairs. Many European leaders have welcomed the Saudi initiative and urged Gulf states to endorse it, FT sources said.
Since the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran, Gulf states have been hit by Iranian drone attacks, a blow to air traffic in the region. Tehran has also blocked the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of oil and about 30 percent of liquefied natural gas flowed to the world market. U.S. President Donald Trump was announcing the launch of Operation Project Liberty, in which the U.S. military was to escort merchant ships in the strait, but suspended the mission less than two days later. According to NBC News, this was in part because of Saudi Arabia, which denied the U.S. military the use of an air base and its skies.
Saudi Arabia itself has secretly launched a series of strikes against Iran during the Middle East war in response to attacks on its territory, sources told Reuters. The UAE did the same. The latter coordinated with Israel and did not recognize the attacks. Riyadh, in turn, preferred to agree with Tehran on the rejection of mutual strikes and the reduction of tension.