Saudi Crown Prince Urges US to Prioritize Dialogue in Iran Standoff
Al Jazeera Staff
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged the US to prioritize dialogue to ease tensions with Iran, hours before President Trump paused new airstrikes. The move reflects Gulf concerns about a wider conflict and potential retaliation against energy infrastructure.
Saudi Arabia's state news agency (SPA) reported on August 2 that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a phone call with US President Donald Trump regarding the escalating crisis between Washington and Tehran. During the call, the crown prince “emphasized the necessity of prioritizing dialogue to de-escalate and the importance of exerting utmost efforts to achieve calm, paving the way for diplomatic solutions.”
SPA also said the crown prince stressed the need to protect the security and stability of the Gulf region and prevent a wider conflict whose “consequences would affect regional and international security and stability.” The move came just hours before President Trump announced a halt to new strikes on Iran, citing the terms of a deal aimed at ending five months of conflict.
Earlier, on August 1, Trump had struck a very different tone, asserting that the US was “ready and fully prepared to deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran” at a level “unseen since World War II.” However, early on August 2, on Truth Social, Trump said he would postpone new airstrikes, claiming he was doing so only because Iran and other Middle Eastern governments had asked Washington to show restraint. He insisted that “the fundamental terms of a deal have been agreed.”
That deal, according to Trump, would include reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending Iran's “nuclear threat,” with Israel joining the US in the commitment. However, Iranian state media quoted military officials as rejecting Trump's claim that Tehran had sought a pause, calling it a “new lie” and affirming that Iranian forces remained on high alert.
According to a source familiar with the call cited by US media, the Saudi crown prince's intervention focused on concerns that a major US strike on Iran's energy infrastructure could trigger Iranian retaliation against Gulf oil facilities. The Kingdom has faced direct attacks in recent weeks, including intercepting drones targeting oil facilities in the east and the capital Riyadh. Yemen's Houthi forces, aligned with Iran, have also attacked Saudi oil infrastructure and threatened to blockade the Red Sea.
The conflict began on February 28 when the US and Israel launched strikes to destroy Iran's missile program, prevent nuclear weapons, and cut off support for Tehran-linked armed groups. A ceasefire in June collapsed within weeks over disputes about shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz—a waterway carrying about one-fifth of the world's oil and gas exports—sparking renewed fighting in July.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington's airstrikes had destroyed much of Iran's navy, air force, and missile defense systems, stripping the country of the “conventional shield” it once relied on. “That has changed the entire landscape,” Rubio told Fox News, arguing that the US is approaching negotiations with Iran “from a position of strength, not weakness.”
Professor Marlin Hardinger of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire assessed that Saudi Arabia's direct mediation, alongside Qatar, Pakistan, and Oman, appeared to have prompted President Trump to reconsider, “allowing some senior regional leaders to step forward and take a leading role.” According to Hardinger, the central task for diplomats now is simply to “keep the dialogue going.” Mediators in Islamabad and Doha said they were cautiously optimistic that stalled talks could resume in the coming days.
