Crown Prince sends condolences to Iranian President over attack victims
Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman held a phone call today, June 14, with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, during which he extended his condolences over the victims of the Israeli attacks and wished a speedy recovery for the injured.
The Crown Prince reaffirmed the Kingdom's rejection of the use of force to resolve conflicts, emphasizing the need to adopt dialogue as the foundation for settling disputes.
He reiterated the Kingdom's condemnation of attacks that violate Iran's sovereignty and international law, stressing that such escalation obstructs diplomatic efforts.
The Iranian President expressed appreciation for the Kingdom's stance and thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for facilitating the affairs of Iranian pilgrims until their return home.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
34 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Germany, France, UK offer Iran talks over nuclear program: Berlin
Germany, France and Britain are ready to hold immediate talks with Iran over Tehran's nuclear program in a bid to de-escalate the situation in the Middle East, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said. Wadephul, who is on a visit to the Middle East, said he was trying to contribute towards a de-escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran, and noted Tehran had previously failed to take the opportunity to enter into constructive talks. 'I hope that's still possible,' Wadephul told German public broadcaster ARD late on Saturday. 'Germany, together with France and Britain are ready. We're offering Iran immediate negotiations about the nuclear program, I hope (the offer) is accepted.' 'This is also a key prerequisite for reaching a pacification of this conflict, that Iran presents no danger to the region, for the state of Israel or to Europe.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
an hour ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Republicans Are Divided Over Iran. Will Trump Pick a Side?
Tyler Pager and Luke Broadwater* As Israel pummels Iran with waves of airstrikes, US President Donald Trump is navigating the divides within the Republican Party over whether the United States should get involved in another foreign conflict. On one side are the isolationists who fear that Israel could pull the United States into another Middle East war. And on the other are the Iran hawks and Israel supporters who have been calling for just this sort of military action for years. Trump appears caught between the two sides, veering back and forth as he tries to distance the United States from Israel's assault while celebrating the success of the attacks and warning Iran that more is coming. 'This, right now, is going to cause, I think, a major schism in the MAGA online community,' Charlie Kirk, the right-wing activist and podcaster, said Thursday on his podcast. Trump had several times this year dissuaded Israel from launching an attack, saying he wanted to pursue a negotiated settlement with Iran. Shortly after the assault began, the White House sent out a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, emphasizing that the United States was not involved in the initial military operation. 'Israel took unilateral action against Iran,' Rubio said. 'We are not involved in strikes against Iran, and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region.' But in subsequent interviews, the president said he spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Thursday, knew the attacks were planned and called the strikes 'excellent.' In a post on Truth Social, he wrote Israel has 'already planned attacks' that would be 'even more brutal.' And the US military helped Israel intercept some of the ballistic missiles Iran fired in retaliation, an American official said. While running for president, Trump promised to end wars around the world, and in his inaugural address, he said he wanted to be remembered as a peacemaking president. So far, Trump's diplomatic efforts have failed to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, which he had promised to do within 24 hours, or the war between Israel and Hamas. Over the past several months, the Trump administration had been trying to strike a new nuclear deal with Iran, and the president had urged Netanyahu to hold off any military actions as the talks continued. 'I don't want them going in because that would blow it,' Trump told reporters at the White House just hours before the attacks. After Israel launched the missiles, Trump put the blame on Iran, faulting its leaders for refusing to accept a proposal that would have stopped it from enriching uranium. 'I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal,' he wrote on Truth Social on Friday morning. 'I told them, in the strongest of words, to 'just do it,' but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn't get it done.' Elliott Abrams, a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, noted that Trump had flipped his position on whether Israel should strike Iran. But he said Israel made a calculated gamble that Trump would go along with the idea. 'They made a bet on President Trump,' he said, adding: 'Trump, for a long time -- most of the time he's been in office -- has been saying 'no, we're negotiating, no, don't do it.' The Israelis strike, and today Trump called it excellent.' For many Republicans, Israel's military strikes were long overdue amid growing fears that Iran was moving closer to full nuclear capabilities. 'The number of Republicans who do not see a nuclear-armed Iran as a threat to Israel and the world is exceedingly small,' said Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina and a close ally of the president. 'The overwhelming majority of Republicans back Israel's use of military force to neuter the Iranian nuclear threat.' Another faction of Trump's most ardent supporters see it differently. Israel's strikes and the prospect of US involvement in the conflict, they argue, run counter to Trump's 'America First' foreign policy agenda. 'The emails are so largely overwhelmingly against Israel doing this, I'd say it's probably a 99 to one,' Kirk said on Thursday night of feedback he was receiving from his listeners. Some MAGA supporters argued that Israel's targeted strikes of both nuclear sites and top military commanders were part of an effort to ignite a bigger conflict and draw the United States into it. US officials said on Friday that the Pentagon was positioning warships and other military assets in the Middle East to help protect Israel and US troops in the region from any further Iranian retaliation. 'The bottom line is we cannot be dragged into, inexorably dragged into, a war on the Eurasian land mass in the Middle East or in Eastern Europe,' Stephen K. Bannon, a former top adviser to Mr. Trump who remains close to the president, said on Friday on his 'War Room' podcast. On Israel, he said: 'Hey, you guys did it. You're putting your country first. Your country's defense first. That's fine, but we've got to put our defense first.' But Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said the Trump administration was just 'shouting from the sidelines.' 'Trump will likely keep the US out of conflict and offer mediation, but at this point, he's just basically treading water,' he wrote in an email. 'The big issue will play out in Congress during debates about Israel aid and replenishing Israeli stockpiles.' *The New York Times
Asharq Al-Awsat
an hour ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Lebanon Working on Technical, Security Levels to Avoid New ‘Support War' against Israel
Lebanon is intensifying efforts to avert any consequences of the Israeli-Iranian war and avoid dragging the country to a new conflict under the pretext of 'supporting' Iran. Hezbollah had launched a 'support front' with Gaza by launching attacks on Israel on October 8, 2023, a day after Hamas' Al-Aqsa Flood Operation that sparked the ongoing war on Palestinian enclave. Lebanese authorities are exerting efforts to distance the country from the latest conflict under the slogan 'No new support war ... this is not our battle'. Contacts are being held on the highest levels with countries with influence to avert any escalation in southern Lebanon along the border with Israel. Internally, technical and security measures are being taken. Cutting short a trip to the Vatican, President Joseph Aoun held a meeting on Saturday morning with security leaders. He met with concerned ministers to discuss the latest security developments as a result of the confrontation between Iran and Israel, said a presidency statement. The meeting tackled the measures Lebanon needs to take to address the impact of the conflict and aviation at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport, it added. Several measures have been taken to maintain stability in Lebanon and secure civil aviation, it said. Aoun urged security authorities to remain on alert to maintain stability and security. Meetings will remain open to assess the developments as they unfold, said the statement. The meeting included Minister of Defense Michel Menassa, Minister of Interior Ahmed al-Hajjar, Minister of Transportation and Public Works Fayez Rasamny, army commander Rodolphe Haykal, Internal Security Forces chief Raed Abdallah, General Security chief Hassan Choucair and others. Ministerial sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that official efforts are operating on the technical and security levels and by holding contacts with foreign parties. The technical efforts are focused on the airport and safety of aviation whereby flights will be halted whenever danger is detected and in coordination with regional countries, namely Syria and Jordan, they explained. On the security level, efforts are focused on preventing Lebanon from being dragged into the conflict, with emphasis that no new 'support front' will be opened in the South. Priority will be on 'preemptive security intelligence,' said the sources. Patrols along the border will be intensified and coordination will continue between the security forces so that they remain on alert for any possible emergency and prevent any security breach, they stressed. The sources said they were optimistic that Hezbollah will not become involved in the conflict, adding that the Iran-backed party seems 'aware of the consequences of any intervention.' The danger lies in the Hamas group and other Palestinian factions that may want to attack Israel. Contacts are taking place with the concerned parties to deter them from taking any risky move, such as firing rockets at Israel from the South the way Hamas had done in the past, said the sources. On the external level, contacts had kicked off from the moment the attack on Iran had taken place with American and French officials, with Lebanon asserting that it is not involved in the conflict and will not be a battleground for others, revealed the sources. Efforts are underway to keep Lebanon away from the fight, they said. The Lebanese government - through the army - had informed Hezbollah as soon as the conflict erupted that there was no need to involve Lebanon in the fight.
