Iran Official Claims Saudi Arabia Warned of Israeli Expansion Plans

Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary, Mohsen Rezaei, revealed that Saudi Arabia's defense minister directly warned him about Israeli plans to expand its regional attacks. According to Rezaei, these plans allegedly include targeting Turkey after Iran, and then Saudi Arabia itself. He made these statements on the sidelines of a recent quadrilateral meeting in Tehran. Rezaei stated that representatives from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan had issued warnings regarding Israel's intentions to broaden its military operations to other regional countries, indicating these alerts reflect widespread regional concerns about escalating tensions. He emphasized that these developments underscore the necessity of establishing a new regional security framework, suggesting that recent events have prompted West Asian nations to re-evaluate their security and stability arrangements and seek a structure where they manage their own security without external interference. Rezaei stressed that any new regional security arrangements must include Iran's participation. He noted that the quadrilateral meeting discussed the outlines of this framework and the future of regional arrangements amidst ongoing tensions. The discussions focused on security and strategic issues and the participating countries' stances on Israel, while Rezaei clarified that the "Mecca Agreement" and the Yemen issue were not raised. The Iranian official reiterated his call for the withdrawal of foreign powers from the region, asserting that West Asian countries should be responsible for maintaining their own security and stability. Rezaei's remarks come amid regional efforts to discuss new security arrangements, against the backdrop of tensions between Iran and Israel and the potential impact of military confrontations on regional states, with fears of the conflict widening.