As the U.S. Donald Trump administration signaled large-scale renewed airstrikes on Iran, Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman expressed concern and urged President Trump to refrain from escalation. With Saudi Arabia, the biggest ally in the Middle East, also balking at U.S.-led military action, the calculus of U.S. authorities bent on all-out war has grown more complicated.
On the 1st (local time), according to Axios, Crown Prince bin Salman spoke by phone with President Trump and conveyed concern about plans for airstrikes on Iran. Citing multiple administration officials, Axios said the crown prince urged President Trump to de-escalate and refrain from strikes. A U.S. official told Axios, "The Saudi side expressed concerns and requested a clear explanation of the plan of action." The White House and the Saudi Embassy in the United States declined to comment.
President Trump is closely weighing strikes on Iran's energy facilities, citing Iran's missile attack targeting a U.S. base in Jordan and interference with ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. However, a final order has not yet been issued. Not only Saudi Arabia but also Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Türkiye and Pakistan—major countries in the region—have in unison pressed both sides to ease tensions. Analysts say the growing sense of crisis stems from fears that the war, now in its fifth month, could expand to an unprecedented scale.
The Saudi leadership's statement came right after the United States and Saudi Arabia jointly struck pro-Iran militias in Iraq this week. Earlier, on the 29th, President Trump met with Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman. The Saudi defense minister, in a meeting with the U.S. vice president, conveyed that he prefers de-escalation with Iran. Experts said a realistic fear is at play that, if neighboring countries cooperate with U.S. airstrikes, their own infrastructure could be destroyed.
In fact, Iran has threatened retaliatory attacks on Israel and on Gulf countries' energy and infrastructure facilities if the U.S. carries out airstrikes. Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned in a Telegram statement that "if the United States or Israel shows any hostile action, or if countries in the region participate in or cooperate with such actions, they will face a resolute and proportionate response from the powerful Iranian military." Minister Araghchi also held back-to-back phone calls that day with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Türkiye and with Pakistan's army chief of staff to discuss the possibility of U.S. strikes.
As military tensions peak, behind-the-scenes diplomacy to craft a breakthrough is also gaining speed. Qatari mediators held successive meetings that day with Minister Araghchi, U.S. White House envoy Steve Witkoff, and Omani officials, aiming to resume traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. A source said, "There was some progress in the talks," but it remains unclear whether the outcome is sufficient to defuse the hair-trigger crisis now unfolding.