Qatar and Saudi Arabia urged Trump to de-escalate tensions with Iran

Senator Lindsey Graham wrote on X that headlines describing President Trump as retreating were “beyond inaccurate.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Senior officials from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Oman engaged quietly with both sides in recent days to try to avert a US strike, a source familiar with the matter told the Jerusalem Post.

Egypt had also joined the diplomatic track, according to a Reuters report.

These developments unfolded as the Pakistani outlet Dawn published comments from Iran’s ambassador in Islamabad claiming President Donald Trump had notified Tehran that Washington would not carry out an attack and had urged Iranian leaders to show restraint.

The remarks surfaced just hours after the president told reporters in the Oval Office that he had been briefed that killings during Iran’s crackdown on nationwide demonstrations were easing.

President Trump said he had been informed “pretty strongly” that no executions were planned, adding that he had been told this “on good authority” and that any resumption of lethal measures would cause severe concern.

Attention Thursday also centered on the fate of Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old protester whose death sentence had drawn widespread focus among demonstrators.

On his Truth Social account, the president pointed to a Fox News report saying Iran had halted Soltani’s execution—and that others would also be spared—calling the development “good news” and expressing hope the shift would hold. Soltani had been sentenced on Wednesday.

Pushback emerged in Washington among Trump allies over claims that the administration had stepped back from potential military action.

Senator Lindsey Graham wrote on X that headlines describing President Trump as retreating were “beyond inaccurate,” insisting the decisions ahead had “nothing to do” with any wavering by the president.

He described the Iranian leadership as “evil” and said developments were moving toward “necessary, decisive action,” telling readers to “stay tuned.”