Saudi Arabia's king told an emergency Arab summit on Friday that decisive action is needed to stop Iranian "escalations" in the region following attacks on Persian Gulf oil assets, and American officials said a U.S. military deployment had deterred Tehran.
A Persian Gulf Arab statement and a separate communique issued after the wider summit supported the right of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to defend their interests after the attacks on oil pumping stations in the kingdom and tankers off the UAE.
"The absence of a firm deterrent stance against Iranian behavior is what led to the escalation we see today," King Salman told the two consecutive meetings late on Thursday night.