Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump on Aug. 1 (Saturday), urging diplomacy instead of additional military strikes against Iran. Hours later, Trump announced that the United States and Israel had agreed to pause planned attacks to allow new peace talks to proceed on Monday.
The crown prince called Trump as Washington was considering a new round of strikes against Tehran, according to an Axios report citing two U.S. officials and a third source familiar with the conversation.
The United States was weighing retaliatory strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure following Iran’s attack on a U.S. military base in Jordan and continued disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. According to Axios, Mohammed bin Salman spoke with Trump before the president made a final decision.
Trump had told members of his cabinet on Friday that he was losing confidence in Iran’s willingness to reach a peace agreement. He described Iran’s leadership as “liars” and warned that the United States could strike the country “very hard.”
An Iranian ballistic missile and drones attacked U.S. and allied forces Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Azraq and a U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) operational headquarters in Jordan on July 29. The attack broke a five-day pause in hostilities, causing a severe intensification of the conflict.
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Following U.S. retaliatory strikes, Iran threatened to target energy infrastructure in Israel and Gulf states.
“The Saudis expressed concern and asked for clarity about the plan of action,” one U.S. official told Axios. Another source quoted by the media said Prince Salman urged for deescalation and not engaging in further attacks.
Another source cited by Axios said Mohammed bin Salman urged de-escalation and argued against further military action.
Trump wrote in a message on Truth Social on Sunday, Aug. 2 that the US is all prepared to attack Iran with military “Terror, Strength, and Power not seen since World War II,” but that he and Israel had agreed to pause further attacks because they had “just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.”
The president said he hoped the pause would benefit both regional stability and Iran’s future. In return, he said he expected the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat.
The strikes are halted “subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL,” Trump wrote.
Saudi Arabia’s official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) also confirmed the phone call on Saturday, saying Mohammed bin Salman stressed the need to renew diplomatic efforts.
“The Crown Prince stressed the need to prioritize dialogue to reduce escalation and the importance of making every possible effort to achieve calm that paves the way for diplomatic solutions, preserves the region’s security and stability, and prevents a wider conflict whose repercussions would affect regional and international security and stability,” SPA said.
Expert: Saudi Arabia can play a positive role in de-escalation
Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic outreach, followed by Trump’s announcement that peace talks could resume on Monday, reflects Riyadh’s regional influence, Sina Azodi, a Middle East expert at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, told Deutsche Welle, a German public broadcaster.
Azodi said Mohammed bin Salman’s call likely played some role in Trump’s decision to return to negotiations. However, he noted that Trump is known for making independent and often unpredictable decisions, and that concerns over Iranian threats to Gulf energy infrastructure may also have influenced the president.
According to Azodi, Saudi Arabia has the ability to influence Trump because he places considerable weight on personal relationships in addition to traditional state-to-state diplomacy. Trump has maintained a close relationship with Mohammed bin Salman during both of his administrations.
“So I think that has also played a role, in perhaps changing President Trump’s decision,” Azodi said.
He added Saudi Arabia could also serve as one of the mediators in renewed negotiations, although its longstanding rivalry with Iran would likely limit that role.
“They can be one of the mediators or one of the people who can try to influence President Trump’s decision making,” Azodi said. “The Saudis can still be a positive actor because of their regional status and their economic power and ability to impact global energy markets.”
Asked about Israel, which had not publicly confirmed Trump’s statement that it had agreed to halt strikes and resume negotiations, Azodi told DW that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was unlikely to publicly contradict or embarrass Trump.
According to Azodi, the close personal relationship between the two leaders continues to shape how they publicly manage disagreements.
Iran denies talks are underway
Iran denied on Monday, Aug. 3 that renewed negotiations with the United States were taking place following Trump’s announcement, Reuters reported.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei rejected Trump’s claims that new talks were imminent, saying no negotiations were underway and no meetings with U.S. officials had been scheduled. Reuters also cited a senior Iranian official as saying Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi would be unavailable until later this week.
Baghaei said Tehran had no plans to host foreign delegations or send negotiators abroad in the coming days. He added that all Iranian negotiators were currently in the country except for Araghchi, who was in Iraq on a religious pilgrimage.
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