1 hour ago
Last Updated:January 15, 2026, 21:32 IST
Gulf officials said the effort was intended to prevent a rapid slide toward military confrontation.
The Saudi-led outreach was aimed at giving Tehran time to step back from escalation amid fears of that Donald Trump would order a strike on Iran. (IMAGE: REUTERS)
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman mounted a last-minute diplomatic push to dissuade the United States from launching a military strike on Iran, with senior Gulf officials saying they urged Washington to give Tehran time to step back from escalation.
A senior Saudi official told Agence France-Presse on Thursday that the three countries led what he described as an intense effort to convince US President Donald Trump not to attack Iran amid rising tensions over Tehran’s crackdown on protests. Another Gulf official confirmed the discussions while speaking to the news agency.
“The Gulf trio led a long, frantic, diplomatic last-minute effort to convince President Trump to give Iran a chance to show good intention," the unnamed Saudi official was quoted as saying.
Earlier in the day, Iran’s envoy to Pakistan said Trump had conveyed to Tehran that he did not intend to attack and had urged restraint, a claim that pointed to parallel diplomatic efforts to prevent escalation.
The Iranian envoy, Reza Amiri Moghadam, said the message indicated that Trump did not want war and had asked Iran not to target US interests in the region, according to a report by Pakistan’s Dawn.
The Saudi official said the Gulf outreach was aimed at preventing “an uncontrollable situation in the region," warning Washington that any attack on Iran could trigger serious regional fallout.
“We told Washington that an attack on Iran would open the way for a series of grave blowbacks in the region," the official said.
Trump later signalled a shift in tone, saying he had received assurances from what he described as “very important sources on the other side" that Iran would not carry out executions of demonstrators, a development he said had reduced immediate tensions.
A second Gulf official said messages conveyed to Tehran included a warning that any attack on US facilities in the Gulf would have consequences for Iran’s relations with neighbouring countries.
“It was a sleepless night to defuse more bombs in the region," the Saudi official said, adding that communication was continuing to consolidate trust and preserve what he described as a more positive atmosphere.
Location :
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
First Published:
January 15, 2026, 21:32 IST
News world ‘Give Iran A Chance’: Gulf Trio Stepped In To Stop Trump Strike, Saudi Official Claims
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