Islamabad, March 22 (NationPress) Pakistan has opted for a stance of silence regarding the ongoing Iranian assaults on Saudi Arabia, which have targeted crucial facilities, including the energy sector. This is particularly notable given the existence of a ‘Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA)’ between Islamabad and Riyadh, according to a recent report.

Despite benefiting from both financial and strategic backing from Saudi Arabia for many years, Pakistan continues to exhibit a tendency to 'appease' Iran, as articulated by Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury in an opinion piece featured in The Eurasian Times.

“It is essential to recognize that the diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have flourished for over seventy years, with the involvement of Pakistani military personnel in Saudi defense becoming a structured arrangement over time. Moreover, numerous Pakistani citizens work in the Kingdom, playing a vital role in boosting Islamabad’s foreign currency reserves,” the article noted.

In light of the persistent attacks from Iran, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, has cautioned that the Kingdom's patience in the face of escalating Iranian hostility “is not without limits,” suggesting that military responses remain a possibility. This comes as a coalition of Arab and Islamic nations issued a collective appeal for Tehran to cease its aggressive actions, as reported by The Eurasian Times.

Amid ongoing tensions in West Asia, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian issued a public apology on March 7 for hostile actions against neighboring nations. Nevertheless, Iran continues to launch attacks on Gulf countries, signaling that Tehran aims not only to inflict damage on Israel but also to disrupt the economies of West Asian nations by targeting their essential infrastructure.

The Gulf countries most severely affected by this conflict include Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, despite Doha's reported financial support for Iranian proxies such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, seemingly intending to exert sustained pressure on Israel.

During the conflict, Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE's Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, has warned that assaults on energy infrastructure are disrupting operations, which could lead to significant implications as tensions mount.

In response to Iran's increasing aggressions, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has designated several Iranian diplomats as persona non grata. Reports indicate that a considerable number of Iranian nationals in the UAE, including covert members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Basij, are allegedly attempting to incite unrest against the local government, according to the opinion piece.

“Furthermore, it has been noted that Iranian operatives are enlisting Pakistani nationals in the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia to carry out online propaganda campaigns targeting these countries and their leaders. An investigative report by Turkish journalist Uzay Bulut has previously outlined how networks based in Pakistan have been disseminating AI-generated Iranian propaganda across social media platforms,” Choudhury wrote.