Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman speaks with Donald Trump at the Royal Court in Riyadh in May 2025 (Brendan Smialowski/AFP)
EA-Byline Times VideoCast: US-Iran — “Uncontained War” Spreads Across Middle East
UPDATES: US War on Iran, Day 156 — American Attacks Resume
The Trump Administration has retreated from wider US strikes in its War on Iran, reportedly because of objections by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
US officials had declared the attacks would begin this weekend, lasting for at least several days. However, the Crown Prince “urged Trump to de-escalate and refrain from launching the strikes” in a phone call”, according to one source.
The Saudi’s intervention came as Iran threatened to retaliate decisively throughout the region if the US stepped us its assault. The Iranians fired drones on Kuwait on Saturday and attack two ships off Oman in the strait of Hormuz.
Mohammed bin Salman said that if Trump carried out his threat to strike Iran’s energy infrastructure or launch massive attack on other key infrastructure, Tehran could respond with similar operations. The Crown Prince sought clarity from Trump on the potential US actions.
The Saudis were reportedly infuriated that from the launch of the US-Israel Wars on February 28, they were not protected from Iran’s response including strikes and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The Kingdom’s leaders were further upset when the Trump Administration did not “finish the job” with the removal of the regime, including Trump’s rejection of US ground operations.
Riyadh has continued to press for American military operations. Last week it joined the US in attacks on an Iraqi military organizations, the Popular Mobilization Units, which is backed by Iran. The assault — killing at least five Iranian military advisors and 20 Iraqi fighters — followed the reported coordination between Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis and the PMU in strikes on Saudi sites including oil facilities.
At the same time, Saudi Arabia has been looking for a settlement to end the war if the Americans do not remove the Iranian regime. The Kingdom has been the power behind Pakistan’s mediation throughout the conflict, according to multiple officials.
Trump posted late Saturday night that he was retreating from the strikes. He insisted that an emerging deal “would include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat”.
The reality TV star offered no evidence of an imminent settlement. Iranian officials said the claim was a “lie”.
