Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrived in Riyadh on March 18, 2026 to take part in a high-level meeting hosted by Saudi Arabia, bringing together foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic nations. The purpose of the gathering was clear: to explore ways of calming tensions surrounding the ongoing US-Israeli conflict with Iran. Yet, even as diplomatic discussions were underway, events on the ground told a very different story.

During the meeting, Iran launched ballistic missiles toward Riyadh and Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. The Kingdom’s air defense systems successfully intercepted the incoming projectiles. Shortly afterward, a second wave of strikes was reported, including an attack on a key gas facility in Qatar. It is difficult to recall a precedent where a diplomatic initiative was so directly and dramatically undercut by simultaneous military escalation.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan suggested the timing was far from accidental. According to him, the attacks appeared deliberately synchronized with the diplomatic gathering, signaling Tehran’s broader approach — one that disrupts dialogue through calculated escalation.

The Riyadh summit marked the first in-person ministerial meeting since the outbreak of the war. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members were joined by officials from Egypt, Jordan, Turkiye, Pakistan, Syria, Lebanon, and Azerbaijan, reflecting a shared concern over the trajectory........

© Blitz