Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has used social media platform X to put Gulf governments on the spot, publicly challenging them to stop hosting US and Israeli military operations or accept responsibility for the ongoing conflict in their region. The post, made more than a month into the Iran-US war, was a pointed and very public diplomatic move designed to pressure Gulf leaders. Pezeshkian’s use of social media to deliver this message reflects the evolving nature of modern diplomatic pressure.
Gulf nations including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman have found themselves embedded in the conflict through American military facilities on their soil. US strikes against Iran from these bases have drawn Tehran’s retaliatory fire into those countries. Gulf governments now face the dual challenge of managing their military alliances with Washington and dealing with Iran’s growing public and diplomatic pressure.
Pezeshkian confirmed that Iran does not launch preemptive strikes but will respond decisively when its economic or infrastructure assets are attacked. He put Gulf governments on the spot by arguing that hosting enemy military operations makes them de facto participants in the conflict against Iran. His public use of social media to deliver this message maximizes its diplomatic impact and reach.
Pakistan’s mediation efforts have been praised and acknowledged by Tehran. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed that Pezeshkian told him trust is the foundational requirement for any peace talks. Pakistan’s foreign ministry has organized a multilateral ministerial meeting in Islamabad with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey focused on de-escalation strategies.
Pakistan’s Ishaq Dar will lead the ministerial discussions and facilitate meetings with Prime Minister Sharif. Tehran has expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s sincere and constructive role as a mediator. The Islamabad talks, combined with Iran’s public diplomatic pressure on Gulf states, create a complex and rapidly evolving environment in which the stakes for regional peace have never been higher.