Saudi crown prince urged Trump to hold off on Iran strikes, sources say

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged Donald Trump to hold back from striking Iran, and his appeal is believed to have influenced the US president's decision to suspend a large-scale attack on Iranian energy infrastructure, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Axios and The Associated Press reported that the crown prince expressed concern about a US strike on Iran during a phone call with Trump on Sunday, calling for de-escalation and restraint. US media had earlier reported that the United States and Israel were planning one of the most powerful airstrikes ever carried out against Iranian energy infrastructure over the weekend of Aug. 1 and 2.

Had the attack gone ahead, it could have brought an unprecedented escalation to a war that began with a US-Israeli first strike in late February and has now stretched into its fifth month. Iran warned that any attack would trigger retaliation, with American energy facilities in the Middle East among the potential targets.

As tensions mounted across the region and the weekend "strike window" was roughly halfway through, Trump announced Saturday night that he had called off the attack on Iran.

He said on his Truth Social platform that he had been asked "to hold off on any attack, as agreements have been reached on the conditions of a deal" with Iran and other Middle Eastern countries.

An official briefed on the Trump-bin Salman call told AP that "the Saudis are concerned that Iran could retaliate by striking Saudi and other Gulf states' energy facilities."

The official added that the crown prince had pressed Trump for a clear explanation of what new measures the United States was considering against Iran.

Trump met Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud on July 29 to receive the crown prince's views on the war with Iran and the broader situation in the Middle East, a source said.

The source said the meeting was added to the schedule after the defense minister told US Vice President JD Vance that Saudi Arabia preferred de-escalation between the United States and Iran.

Saudi Arabia is a key US ally in the Middle East. Since the outbreak of the war with Iran, Riyadh has repeatedly shaped Trump's policy toward Tehran at critical junctures.