The countries have long worried about being sucked into regional war as they juggle relations with Washington, their security guarantor, while seeking to improve ties with Tehran.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates condemned Iran’s missile attack on Monday evening against the Al Udeid US military base in Qatar. Riyadh called the strikes an “aggression” against Doha and were “unacceptable and cannot be justified”.

After the missile strike, Iran's National Security Council said the attack was aimed only at the U.S. base and not at Qatar, calling the Gulf nation a "friend and brother."