Saudi Arabia is advancing efforts to establish a regional non-aggression framework involving Iran and other Middle Eastern states following months of conflict, missile exchanges and drone attacks across the Gulf.
According to a report by the Financial Times, Riyadh has discussed the proposal with Tehran as part of broader attempts to reduce tensions after the recent U.S.-Israel war with Iran.
While Saudi authorities have not officially confirmed the initiative, the report said the Kingdom is exploring a model partly inspired by the 1975 Helsinki Accords, which helped ease Cold War tensions through confidence-building and security cooperation measures.
The proposed arrangement has reportedly received backing from several European governments and European Union institutions, which view the initiative as a potential mechanism to prevent future regional escalation and provide Iran with broader security assurances.
The discussions come amid growing concern among Gulf states that Iran, despite being weakened by the conflict, could emerge more confrontational while retaining significant ballistic missile and drone capabilities.
The report also said Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkiye and Egypt are expanding defense and economic coordination following the conflict. Pakistan has reportedly proposed widening its existing defense cooperation arrangement with Saudi Arabia to include Qatar and Turkiye.
Despite Gulf efforts to avoid direct escalation during the war, Iran reportedly launched large-scale missile and drone attacks across the region, while the Trump administration encouraged Arab allies to take a more active role against Tehran.
The United Arab Emirates reportedly carried out strikes during the conflict and adopted a more hardline posture toward Iran, while Saudi Arabia backed mediation initiatives led by Pakistan, according to the report.
Besides UAE, Saudi Arabia also fired back at Iran during conflict
During the war, Israel reportedly deployed Iron Dome missile defense systems to the UAE, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also alleged to have made a covert wartime visit to the Gulf state — a claim later denied by Abu Dhabi.
One of the major unresolved issues surrounding any future regional arrangement remains the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway through which a significant share of global oil shipments passes. Iran has sought greater influence over the strait and recently introduced new navigation regulations and transit toll measures.
Saudi Arabia and several Gulf states had previously urged Washington against military strikes on Iran, fearing such action could leave Tehran militarily weakened but politically more aggressive while the Islamic Republic remained intact.
US Intelligence: Iran Retains Much of Missile Capability Despite Months-Long Conflict
A recent CIA assessment reportedly concluded that Iran still retains much of its pre-war ballistic missile capability and that there are no indications of imminent governmental collapse.
Meanwhile, six Arab states — Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Jordan — have formally urged the United Nations to reject Iran’s recent moves to expanded “administrative” authority over the Strait of Hormuz, warning that unilateral measures threaten maritime law and regional stability, according to the Bahrain News Agency.
Muhammad Luqman is Associate Editor at Views News Now. He writes on wide-ranging issues including economy, South Asia, the Middle East, agriculture, economy and innovation. Luqman has worked some of the leading news organizations and won acclaim for his original and research-based works.
