GULF COUNTRIES CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY OF OIL FACILITIES

Middle Eastern states fear Iranian retaliation against their oil facilities and demand that the United States intervene to deter Israel from a direct attack on Iran

Gulf countries are calling on Washington to stop Israel from attacking Iranian oil facilities because they fear Tehran may fire on their oil facilities in response, Reuters reports, citing sources.

Seeking to avoid the crossfire, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have closed their airspace to Israel, which they reported to Washington. The actions follow Iran's diplomatic pressure to force its neighbors to seek help from the United States, which can, through its influence on Israel, prevent retaliatory strikes against Iranian oil infrastructure.

Saudi analysts interpret it this way: if the Gulf countries open flights over their lands to Israel, it would be an act of war. Tehran has made it clear to Riyadh that its allies in Iraq and Yemen could retaliate if there is any regional support for Israel against Iran.

American experts say such experiences in the Gulf will likely be a central theme in negotiations with Israel in an attempt to persuade Tel Aviv to make an informed decision.

Israel promised that Iran would pay for its missile attack last week, while Tehran said any retaliation would be met with massive destruction, including attacks on neighboring countries' oil facilities. This has the market worried not only about Iran's oil supplies, but also about oil supplies from across the Middle East.