British Newspaper: Washington Backs Away from the Option of Striking Iran over Fears Its Bases Could Be Targeted in the Region
Rising regional anxiety over tensions sliding into a comprehensive war amid an exchange of threats between Washington and Tehran
NYN | Reports and Analyses
Independent Arabia reported that the United States has stepped back from the option of launching a military strike against Iran, amid serious concerns about wide-ranging regional repercussions—most notably the possibility that U.S. bases deployed across the region and the Gulf could be directly targeted.
The London-based outlet explained that regional anxiety has intensified as Washington raised the ceiling of its threats, coinciding with the expansion of protests inside Iran and the accompanying exchange of warnings that signal the potential transformation of the crisis into an open regional conflict.
Mutual Threats and Warnings of Escalation
According to the report, Tehran responded to U.S. threats with a counter-warning, affirming its readiness to target all U.S. bases in the region, as well as Gulf states and any parties that participate in or support any military aggression against it, including the Israeli occupation entity.
Saudi Expert: External Intervention Would Be Counterproductive
The newspaper quoted Saudi analyst Mubarak Al-Atiy as saying that the Iranian system possesses the capacity to contain protests internally, noting that any external intervention could lead to counterproductive results by strengthening internal cohesion and national unity in Iran and reducing the impact of protests on the structure of the regime.
Riyadh–Tehran Agreement as a De-escalation Factor
Al-Atiy argued that Saudi Arabia’s commitment to the March 2023 agreement with Tehran—which stipulates that Saudi territory will not be allowed to be used in any attacks on Iran—constitutes an important protective factor for the region and could help prevent it from sliding toward a comprehensive confrontation.
Warning of a “Rules-Free Conflict” Scenario
Conversely, the Saudi expert warned that the greatest danger would arise if Tehran were to feel that the survival of the regime was directly threatened, stressing that in such a case it would not hesitate to broaden the scope of the confrontation and turn it into an open, rules-free war, the repercussions of which could extend across the entire region.
