Exclusive-Saudi warned Iran to reach nuclear deal with Trump or risk Israeli strike
(Inserts missing word in paragraph 2)
By Samia Nakhoul, Parisa Hafezi
DUBAI (Reuters) -Saudi Arabia's defence minister delivered a blunt message to Iranian officials in Tehran last month: take President Donald Trump's offer to negotiate a nuclear agreement seriously because it presents a way to avoid the risk of war with Israel.
Alarmed at the prospect of further instability in the region, Saudi Arabia's 89-year-old King Salman bin Abdulaziz dispatched his son, Prince Khalid bin Salman, with the warning destined for Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to two Gulf sources close to government circles and two Iranian officials.
Present at the closed-door meeting in Tehran, which took place on April 17 in the presidential compound, were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, armed forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the sources said.
While media covered the 37-year-old prince's visit, the content of the King Salman's covert message has not been previously reported.
Prince Khalid, who was Saudi ambassador to Washington during Trump's first term, warned Iranian officials that the U.S. leader has little patience for drawn-out negotiations, according to the four sources.
Trump had unexpectedly announced just over a week earlier that direct talks were taking place with Tehran, aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief. He did so in the presence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had travelled to Washington hoping instead to win support for attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.
In Tehran, Prince Khalid told the group of senior Iranian officials that Trump's team would want to reach a deal quickly, and the window for diplomacy would close fast, according to the four sources.
The Saudi minister said it would be better to reach a deal with the U.S. than face the possibility of an Israeli attack if the talks broke down, according to the two Gulf sources.
He argued that the region - already riven by recent conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon - could not withstand a further escalation in tensions, said the two Gulf sources and one senior foreign diplomat familiar with the discussions.
Authorities in Saudi Arabia and Iran did not respond to requests for comment.
The visit by Prince Khalid - the younger brother of Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman - was the first by a senior member of the Saudi royal family to Iran in more than two decades. Riyadh and Tehran had long been bitter rivals, often backing opposing sides in proxy wars, until a rapprochement brokered by China in 2023 helped to ease the tensions and restored diplomatic ties.
Over the past two years, Iran's regional position has been undermined by heavy military blows inflicted by Israel on its allies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and toppling of its close ally, Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Western sanctions, meanwhile, have hit its oil-dependent economy hard.
Mohanad Hage Ali, an expert on Iran at the Carnegie Middle East Center think tank in Beirut, said that Tehran's weakness had offered Saudi Arabia the opportunity to exert its diplomatic influence, seeking to avoid a regional conflagration.
"They want to avoid war because war and confrontation with Iran will have negative implications on them and their economic vision and ambitions," he told Reuters.
IRAN WANTS A DEAL
Reuters was unable to determine the impact of the prince's message on Iran's leadership.
In the meeting, Pezeshkian responded that Iran wanted a deal to ease economic pressure through the lifting of Western sanctions, the four sources said.
However, the Iranian officials, the sources added, expressed concerns over the Trump administration's "unpredictable" approach to negotiations — which have veered from allowing limited uranium enrichment to demanding the complete dismantling of Tehran's enrichment program.
Trump also has threatened to use military force if diplomacy fails to rein in the clerical establishment's nuclear ambitions.
One of the Iranian sources said that Pezeshkian emphasized Tehran's eagerness to reach a deal but that Iran was not willing to sacrifice its enrichment program just because Trump wanted an agreement.
The ongoing talks between Washington and Tehran have already been through five rounds to resolve the decades-long nuclear dispute, but multiple stumbling blocks remain, including the key issue of enrichment.
Reuters reported on Wednesday that Iran might pause uranium enrichment if the U.S. releases its frozen funds and recognises its right to refine uranium for civilian use under a "political deal" that could lead to a broader nuclear accord, according to two Iranian sources familiar with the talks. The semi-official Fars news agency in Iran quoted a foreign ministry spokesman denying the report.
The White House did not directly address Reuters' questions about whether it was aware of the Saudi warning to Iran.
"President Trump has made it clear: make a deal, or face grave consequences, and the whole world is clearly taking him seriously, as they should," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
Trump said on Wednesday he warned Netanyahu last week not to take any actions that could disrupt nuclear talks with Iran, and said the two sides were "very close to a solution now".
Israeli authorities did not respond to a request for comment.
HIGH STAKES
A four-day visit by Trump to the Gulf this month annointed Saudi Arabia as the most prominent member of a new axis of Sunni states in the Middle East, filling the void left by Iran's shattered alliance. During the trip, Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman mediated a reconciliation between Trump and Syria's new Sunni leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Tehran's regional sway, meanwhile, has been diminished by military setbacks suffered by Iran and its allies in the Shi'ite-dominated Axis of Resistance, which include Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, and Iraqi militias
In the meeting, Prince Khalid urged Iran to rethink its regional policy, noting such a shift would be welcomed, especially by Riyadh, the sources said.
Although he stopped short of directly blaming Iran, the Saudi minister voiced concern over a possible repeat of the 2019 drone attacks on the facilities of state oil company Aramco - attacks the kingdom attributed to Iran and its Houthi allies, despite Tehran's denial.
Iranian officials maintained that while Tehran holds some influence over the Houthis, it does not fully control their actions, the Iranian sources said.
Decades of hostility between the Shi'ite Iran and Saudi Arabia destabilised the Gulf and fuelled regional conflicts from Yemen to Syria. The 2023 detente was driven in part by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed's economic ambitions and desire for stability, and has led to increased contacts between the governments.
However, neither Saudi Arabia nor other regional powers see Iran as a dependable partner for peace and they fear its actions could jeopardize their ambitions for economic development, diplomats and regional experts say.
Prince Khalid implored the Iranians to avoid actions by them and their allies that might provoke Washington, stressing that Trump's response would likely be more strident than his predecessors, presidents Joe Biden and Barak Obama.
In turn, he assured Tehran that Riyadh would not let its territory or airspace to be used by the United States or Israel for any potential military action against Iran, the sources said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Antisemitism is on the rise. Here's how the West is reacting
President Donald Trump condemned the attack in Boulder, Colorado, on a group advocating for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. The police arrested a man who allegedly threw Molotov cocktails and used a makeshift flamethrower on a crowd of 20 people. The suspect, disguised as a gardener, yelled 'free Palestine' during the attack, according to eyewitnesses. He faces hate crime charges in federal court, according to The Associated Press. Twelve people suffered injuries. Trump on Monday said the attack 'will not be tolerated' and blamed former President Joe Biden's border policies for allowing the suspect to come to the U.S. Sources at the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement told Fox News the suspect 'is an Egyptian national who overstayed his visa.' Trump promised that such 'acts of terrorism will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law' before expressing his condolences to the victims and Coloradans. This is one of the latest high-profile incidents of violence to make headlines. Late last month, another suspect chanting 'free Palestine' fatally shot two staff members at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., as they were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum. The police identified the victims as Yaron Lischinsky, a Christian Israeli man, and Sarah Milgrim, a Jewish American woman, as the Deseret News reported. Antisemitism and political violence are on the rise in the U.S. According to the Anti-Defamation League, more than 9,350 instances of antisemitism were recorded in 2024, a 344% increase over the past five years. The White House is putting up a fight against colleges by directly negotiating for more oversight with prestigious educational institutions like Harvard University. The Federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism led the fight against Harvard and other universities where antisemitic incidents have been reported. Several states are also taking note of a rise in hate crimes against American Jews in the U.S. and proposing legislation to address this troubling trend. In Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis, who is Jewish and represented the state in Congress for a decade, condemned the Boulder attack publicly and through a letter signed by more than two dozen state and local leaders. Here's what other Western states are proposing. A recent bill from the state House, which was passed in the state Senate, would ban educators in Arizona's public schools and colleges from teaching antisemitism. Teachers and university professors can be held liable if they are found to be teaching or promoting antisemitism. Rep. Michael Way, a Republican, introduced the bill to make schools a place of learning, 'not breeding grounds for hatred and discrimination,' he said in February. 'Arizona has zero tolerance for antisemitism, and this bill ensures that our classrooms are free from the toxic ideology that fuels division and hostility,' the press release said. The state's teacher's union wrote a letter to Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, opposing the bill, which, they argue, 'strips Arizona public school educators of professional liability protections if they face accusations of antisemitism.' The letter added the bill doesn't address 'racism, sexism, anti-LDS bias, Islamophobia, or other forms of bigotry.' HB2867 also does not cover incidents of antisemitism at private schools supported by taxpayer-funded vouchers. The Democratic-led Nevada Legislature passed a bill that defines antisemitism for discrimination investigations. The language in the bill, now on the governor's desk, defines antisemitism as 'a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish Individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.' It uses the widely used definition provided by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. Jolie Brislin, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal this definition 'does not limit free speech or punish criticism of Israel.' The final vote on the bill came a day after the attack in Boulder. Two Jewish teenagers from Las Vegas — 15-year-old Ethan Cohen and 14-year-old Meyer Delee — helped put a spotlight on the bills that designate Jan. 27 each year as 'International Holocaust Remembrance Day' and define antisemitism for the Nevada Equal Rights Commission. Like other states in the West, members of California's Legislative Jewish Caucus initially pursued a bill to create standards for what's acceptable coursework for the state's ethnic studies classes. They wanted to prevent students from being exposed to dangerous content in classrooms. But the caucus shifted strategies and decided to widen the scope by backing a law that strengthens the processing of discrimination complaints to include educators and board members and install an 'antisemitism coordinator' for the state. 'There have been troubling reports of incidents of antisemitism happening within the very spaces meant to foster inclusion and critical thinking,' state Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, D-La Mesa, chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, told J-Weekly. Her caucus supports the bill. 'We've heard allegations that some educators and even school board members have made comments that marginalize or exclude Jewish voices.' Activists who support Palestine said the bill censors people who criticize Israel.
Fox News
38 minutes ago
- Fox News
Man caught scaling Mar-A-Lago wall wanted to 'marry' Trump's granddaughter, 'spread the gospel': report
A man detained by the Secret Service early Tuesday morning after attempting to jump the wall at President Donald Trump's Mar-A-Lago resort, reportedly told law enforcement that he wanted to gain entry to "spread the gospel" to Trump and marry his teenage granddaughter. Anthony Thomas Reyes, 23, was arrested by the Palm Beach Police Department early Tuesday morning after attempting to unlawfully enter the president's Florida resort, according to booking records from the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office. The police report detailing the incident reportedly chronicled how Reyes, who was previously arrested over the New Year's holiday after once again trying to illegally enter Mar-a-Lago, told officers he wanted to get into Trump's resort to "spread the gospel" to the president and marry his granddaughter, Kai. Reyes was initially arrested on trespassing charges and given a $1,000 bond, but his bond was subsequently raised to $50,000, according to records from the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office. Federal charges could likely follow. The president was in the nation's capital at the time of the incident. "An adult male was arrested early Tuesday morning by the Palm Beach Police Department for unlawfully entering the Mar-a-Lago Club property in Florida. Shortly after midnight, the individual scaled a perimeter fence and triggered alarms," the U.S. Secret Service told Fox News Digital. "U.S. Secret Service personnel detained him without incident at the scene. Palm Beach Police officers responded to the scene and took the individual into custody, charging him with occupied trespassing." Reyes's Tuesday arrest was not the first time he tried to enter the president's Florida compound, according to the Palm Beach Daily News. Per the arrest report, according to the local outlet, Palm Beach police issued a warning to Reyes for trespassing at Mar-a-Lago on New Year's Eve, when Trump was present at the property.
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump Asks Congress To Rescind Funding For Public Broadcasting, Foreign Aid
President Donald Trump asked Congress on Tuesday to rescind more than $9 billion in funding it already approved for public broadcasters, foreign aid and global health efforts, taking aim at those initiatives as 'wasteful' and 'woke.' The requested cuts are part of a process known as rescission, in which the president can ask Congress to remove funding commitments from the budget. 'They have 45 days to codify these massive cuts to woke, wasteful, and weaponized spending via a simple majority vote,' the White House Office of Management and Budget said in a statement. The single biggest cut Trump is requesting is a $1.1 billion funding commitment to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS. Leaders of both news outlets said the rescission would strip Americans of vital sources of information while cutting very little in costs. 'This rescission would have a negligible impact on reducing the deficit and provide little-to-no savings for taxpayers, yet it would harm all Americans, shutting off access to local news, national reporting, music and regional culture, and emergency alerting,' NPR's CEO Katherine Maher said in a lengthy statement. NPR is responsible for receiving and distributing 'Presidential-level emergency alerts' within minutes, she noted. 'Rescission would irreparably harm communities across America who count on public media for 24/7 news, music, cultural and educational programming, and emergency alerting services,' she said, noting that private media companies have not been willing to take on those commitments. Paula Kerger, the president and CEO of PBS, raised similar concerns, saying the impacts will especially be felt at 'smaller and rural stations that rely on federal funding for a larger portion of their budgets.' The proposed funding removals would write into law some of the cuts initiated by Elon Musk when he was running the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which he stepped down from last week. Other requested cuts include millions to the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief, orPEPFAR, a Bush-era program credited with saving 25 million lives. Rep. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told reporters she wouldn't support any reductions to PEPFAR, calling it 'possibly the most successful public health program that has ever been used in Africa and other parts of the world.' Skepticism from more Republicans could spell trouble for the rescission package given the GOP's slim majority in the Senate. But Trump's staff is already preparing to ask for more cuts. 'If they pass this, we'll send up many more,' White House budget director Russ Vought said on Fox News, referring to rescission packages.
