Saudi Crown Prince Urges Trump to Avoid Broad Strike on Iran, Report Says

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke with US President Donald Trump on Saturday, expressing concern over plans for extensive strikes on Iran, according to a report by Axios. Trump is considering striking Iranian energy infrastructure in response to the missile attack on a US base in Jordan and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. The Saudis requested clarifications and called for de-escalation. Other countries are also making diplomatic efforts to prevent escalation.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke with US President Donald Trump on Saturday and expressed deep concern over the American administration's plans to launch another wave of extensive strikes against Iran, according to a report by Axios citing two senior American officials and another source familiar with the conversation. According to the report, Trump is considering striking Iranian energy infrastructure in the coming days in response to Iran's missile attack on a US base in Jordan and the continued disruptions Tehran is causing to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, but has not yet made a final decision. The Saudis requested clarifications regarding the American action plan, and bin Salman called on Trump to act to calm tensions and avoid carrying out the strikes. The White House and the Saudi embassy in Washington declined to comment on the report. The report comes after Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met this week in Washington with US Vice President J.D. Vance, and later also with Trump. According to Axios, the purpose of the meetings was to convey the Saudi leadership's position that de-escalation with Iran should be preferred and further deterioration prevented, despite the security cooperation between Washington and Riyadh and the joint strikes they recently carried out against pro-Iranian militias in Iraq. Meanwhile, other countries in the region, including Qatar, the UAE, Turkey, and Pakistan, are making diplomatic efforts to prevent escalation. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke on Saturday with Pakistan's army chief, Asim Munir, who serves as a mediator between Washington and Tehran, as well as with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Turkey. According to his statement, he warned that any military action by the United States or Israel, or any cooperation by regional countries in such an attack, would be met with a "determined and proportionate response" from Iran's armed forces. It was also reported that mediators from Qatar held separate talks on Saturday with Araghchi, White House envoy Steve Witkoff, and Omani officials, in an attempt to reach understandings that would allow the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. According to one source, the talks made progress, but it is still unclear whether it will be enough to prevent further escalation.