Search

Saudis lobbied Trump not to launch major air campaign against Iran – report

Saudi crown prince reportedly urged President Trump to avoid major new strikes on Iran.

By World Israel News Staff

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged US President Donald Trump to de-escalate tensions with Iran and refrain from launching a major new wave of strikes, Axios reported Sunday, as Washington weighs attacks on Iranian energy facilities.

The Saudi leader spoke with Trump on Saturday and raised concerns about the possible military operation, according to two US officials and another person familiar with the conversation.

“The Saudis expressed concern and asked for clarity about the plan of action,” one US official told Axios.

A second source briefed on the call said Mohammed bin Salman, widely known as MBS, directly encouraged Trump to step back from the proposed strikes.

The White House and the Saudi Embassy in Washington declined to comment on the conversation.

Trump is seriously considering attacks on Iranian energy targets in response to Tehran’s missile strike on a US base in Jordan and its continued disruption of commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the report said. The president has not yet issued final orders.

Strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure could represent a major expansion of the five-month conflict, which has repeatedly slowed or paused as Trump explored diplomatic openings before fighting resumed following unsuccessful negotiations.

Read  Iranian rabbi calls to assassinate Trump, Netanyahu

Iran has warned that any new US attack could prompt retaliation against energy and infrastructure sites in Israel and Gulf Arab countries, raising fears that a broader campaign could threaten oil production, shipping routes and civilian facilities across the region.

The Saturday call followed a White House meeting Wednesday between Trump and Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, the crown prince’s brother, who is commonly known as KBS.

The meeting with Trump was added to the Saudi defense minister’s schedule after he met Vice President JD Vance and conveyed Riyadh’s preference for de-escalation with Iran, according to a source familiar with the talks.

Those discussions were intended to communicate the crown prince’s views on both the Iran conflict and the broader regional situation, the source said.

Saudi Arabia has maintained close security ties with Washington while seeking to avoid becoming a direct target of Iranian retaliation. Riyadh’s latest appeal came despite a joint US-Saudi strike this week against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq.

Saudi officials have influenced Trump’s approach to the war at several critical points, even as relations between Washington and Riyadh have faced periods of tension during the conflict.

Other regional governments are also working to prevent a wider confrontation. Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Pakistan have pressed both Washington and Tehran to reduce tensions, according to the report.

Read  Trump pausing Iran strikes due to interceptor shortage - report

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke Saturday with Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, who has acted as an intermediary between the US and Iran. Araghchi also held discussions with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Turkey about the possibility of new American strikes.

During his conversation with the Saudi foreign minister, Araghchi warned against any regional support for an attack on Iran.

“Any hostile action by the U.S. or Israel — or participation or cooperation by regional countries in such actions — would be met with a decisive and proportionate response from Iran’s powerful armed forces,” Araghchi said, according to a statement posted on his Telegram channel.

Qatari mediators meanwhile held separate talks Saturday with Araghchi, White House envoy Steve Witkoff and officials from Oman in an attempt to reach an agreement that would allow the Strait of Hormuz to reopen.

A source familiar with the discussions said the negotiations had made progress. It remained uncertain, however, whether those efforts would be sufficient to prevent US strikes or end Iran’s disruption of shipping through the strategically important waterway.

Trump’s decision is expected to determine whether the conflict enters a significantly more destructive phase or whether regional mediation can produce another temporary diplomatic opening.