Iran has issued a warning to Saudi Arabia that its defense alliance with Turkey and Pakistan will not be enough to guarantee its security, even as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said ‘now is the time for an agreement’ and U.S. Vice President JD Vance confirmed that Washington has been in contact with Tehran in recent days.
CNN reported Saturday that Tehran had delivered the threatening message to Riyadh amid an exchange of strikes involving the Houthis, Iran-backed rebels in Yemen. Vance, speaking in an interview with Fox News, said the administration was using diplomatic, economic and military pressure to try to shape the outcome of the conflict.
JD Vance: 'We're talking to the Iranians'
‘We're talking to the Iranians, of course,’ Vance said. ‘We're trying to maximize the amount of oil and gas that is coming out of the Strait of Hormuz. We're just trying to make sure that we get what we need out of this particular conflict.’
Vance said the U.S. had ‘destroyed their nuclear program,’ ‘destroyed their conventional military’ and ‘radically reduced their asymmetric military abilities.’
‘And right now, we're trying to see if they're willing to make the kind of long-term changes that would be necessary to have a better relationship with the United States, and if not, that's fine too,’ he said.
‘We're just going to keep on applying the pressure that we can apply and getting as much oil and gas out of the Middle East so that Americans can enjoy lower gas and energy prices.’
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Iran threatens Saudi Arabia after defense pact
(Photo: Brendan SMIALOWSKI/AFP, Stringer/Getty Images)
He accused Riyadh of imposing an economic and aerial blockade on Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen, saying it had created ‘the world's worst man-made humanitarian crisis. That reason alone is enough to compel us to act with great determination,’ he said.
The official also claimed that Houthi attacks against Saudi targets this week had been preventive, alleging that Riyadh had been preparing for a ground invasion of rebel-held territory.
At the same time, the United Arab Emirates' state news agency reported Saturday that a vessel operated by ADNOC was struck by a missile while passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The UAE Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, calling it a blatant violation of a UN Security Council resolution emphasizing freedom of navigation and rejecting attacks on commercial vessels or disruption of international maritime routes.
The UAE said that targeting commercial vessels and using the Strait of Hormuz ‘as a tool for pressure or economic blackmail’ amounted to an act of piracy by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and posed a direct threat to regional stability and global energy security.
Abu Dhabi called on Iran to halt the attacks, end what it described as hostile actions and fully and unconditionally reopen the strait. Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Jordan also condemned the attack.
Pezeshkian, meanwhile, accused Washington of violating an understanding governing the Strait of Hormuz. ‘The American side violated the Strait of Hormuz clause in the memorandum of understanding, and we responded accordingly,’ he said.
He then struck a more conciliatory tone, saying Tehran was seeking a diplomatic way forward with Washington despite its distrust of the U.S. ‘The United States is not trustworthy, but we are seeking to move forward with it and resolve the outstanding issues,’ Pezeshkian said. ‘We discuss every day how to manage the diplomatic process in order to emerge from a state of “neither war nor peace.” The fighting cannot continue forever. Ultimately, it has to end.’
Iran's Mehr news agency reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said talks with Oman over managing the strait and establishing a new shipping route were close to an agreement, although reopening the waterway ‘depends on other conditions.’
Araghchi also accused the U.S. of violating what he called the Pakistan memorandum of understanding and said Iran's role in managing the Strait of Hormuz was not negotiable. ‘The previous traffic separation scheme in the Strait of Hormuz is no longer acceptable to Tehran, and a new route is required,’ Araghchi said.
He said the process involved technical and legal complications and that negotiations were underway on an interim arrangement. ‘Because of these complexities, we are currently discussing a temporary route. Before a new route is established, a temporary route will be adopted,’ he said.
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, meanwhile, turned his criticism toward Israel, calling on the Muslim world ‘to unite in confronting the common threat posed by Israel.’
Following the mutual defense agreement signed with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Asif said: ‘Israel poses a threat to all of us. Islamic countries must adopt a coordinated approach to confront this threat.’
The escalating tensions come as senior U.S. military officials are reportedly questioning how much further Washington should pursue the six-month-old war with Iran.
CNN reported overnight that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine has been seeking an ‘exit path’ from the conflict, which has continued despite ceasefires that were announced and subsequently collapsed, a memorandum of understanding that was signed and violated, and renewed negotiations over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Three people familiar with the matter told CNN that Caine has made clear in private discussions with senior members of President Donald Trump's team in recent weeks that the U.S. needs to find a way out of the war.
According to the report, Caine believes military options currently under consideration for escalating the campaign could produce the opposite of their intended effect, while air power alone is unlikely to achieve Trump's stated war objectives.
Those objectives include dismantling Iran's nuclear program and restoring free passage through the Strait of Hormuz to the conditions that existed before the war began on February 28. ‘Caine is looking for a way out,’ one source told CNN.
The report said Caine is not alone in believing the war has reached a critical juncture. Two sources said he had discussed concerns about escalation options and the possibility of finding an exit with senior administration officials, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance.
One source told CNN that when Trump threatened in late July to resume full-scale bombing, Caine and others in the administration were concerned about the possible consequences of a broader escalation.
The source declined to discuss operational details but said ‘the only people who supported the operation were officials at Central Command,’ or CENTCOM. Israel also broadly supported an operation to intensify the war, according to the report.
Trump ultimately called off the strikes, saying he had done so following conversations with Middle Eastern leaders who warned of possible Iranian retaliation against energy infrastructure. A senior Trump administration official told CNN, however, that the president has not ruled out future strikes.
First published: 16:30, 08.08.26