By Samia Nakhoul and Parisa Hafezi March 7 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has told Tehran that while it favours a diplomatic settlement to Iran's conflict with the United States, continued attacks on the kingdom and its energy sector could push Riyadh to respond in kind,

Iranian missiles have reportedly struck several locations in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after Tehran threatened to target energy sites across the region in retaliation for Israeli strikes on its South Pars

This is an audio transcript of the FT News Briefing podcast episode: ‘How Saudi Arabia’s bet on Iran backfired’ Marc Filippino Good morning from the Financial Times. Today is Wednesday, March 18th, and this is your FT News Briefing.

He is a Senior Research Fellow with The Foreign Policy Centre A report in the Washington Post the day after the Iran war began suggested that Saudi Arabia and Israel had both lobbied Donald Trump to attack Iran.

Pakistan will come to the aid of Saudi Arabia whenever needed, the spokesperson for the country’s Prime Minister said, as Iran retaliates against US-Israeli strikes by hitting Gulf nations.

Iran conflict in the Middle East can possibly cause a major shift in WWE WrestleMania 43 and other upcoming Saudi Arabian shows.

Formula One Group cited the "ongoing situation in the Middle East," noting alternatives were considered to no avail.

Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said Riyadh has "reserved the right to take military actions" and would not hesitate to defend its territory and economic interests.