Saudis ask Trump to 'give diplomacy a chance' on Iran prior to military option, sources tell 'Post'

Saudi Arabia has asked the Trump administration to 'give diplomacy a chance' before a decision on military action against Iran, two regional sources told The Jerusalem Post. Riyadh fears Iranian retaliation targeting Saudi infrastructure if the US strikes. A delegation from the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement recently visited Tehran.

Saudi Arabia has asked the Trump administration to 'give diplomacy a chance' before President Donald Trump decides on military action against Iran, two regional sources told The Jerusalem Post. Senior Saudi officials requested 'more time' from senior Trump administration officials, according to one source. Riyadh is concerned that if Trump orders a strike on Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iranian military could retaliate by targeting Saudi water, electricity, and oil infrastructure. Several days ago, senior representatives of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, comprising Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, arrived in Tehran for meetings with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei. The delegation included Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman. During those meetings, the Saudis conveyed a request that Iran refrain from targeting key Saudi oil and gas facilities should conflict resume, but the Iranians refused to make such a commitment, the source said. The article notes that during the joint Israeli-American military campaign against Iran in March, Iran launched missiles and drones toward targets in Saudi Arabia, but later halted attacks after Riyadh warned Tehran was crossing a red line.