NEW YORK, January 13. /TASS/. Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar, are cautioning the US against launching a new strike on Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources.

According to the newspaper, in private contacts the Arab states warned the US administration that any such move would cause turmoil in oil markets and ultimately harm the US economy.

Saudi Arabia has also informed Washington that it does not intend to be drawn into a conflict between the US and Iran and will not allow its airspace to be used for strikes.

On December 29, merchants began protesting in Tehran over a sharp decline in the value of the Iranian rial. On December 30, university students joined the unrest, which engulfed the majority of major cities. Since January 8, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, there have been armed terrorists among the protesters. The authorities also reported the death of 38 law enforcement officers. Tehran labelled the rioters as terrorists and placed responsibility for the unrest on Israel and the United States.

Trump said earlier that the United States was considering using force to quell the unrest in Iran.