Saudi Crown Prince Urges Trump to Prevent Wider Regional Conflict

RIYADH, Aug 2: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman emphasized the need to prevent the Middle East from sliding into a broader conflict during a phone call with US President Donald Trump, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Sunday.

According to SPA, the crown prince stressed the importance of prioritizing dialogue to ease tensions and called for "all possible efforts" to achieve de-escalation and pave the way for diplomatic solutions with positive outcomes.

He said such efforts are essential to preserving regional security and stability and preventing the conflict from expanding in a way that could have serious regional and international consequences.

The two leaders also reviewed bilateral cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the United States and discussed ways to further strengthen ties.

The conversation came after nearly two weeks of military exchanges between the United States and Iran, during which Tehran targeted what it described as US military facilities and equipment in several Arab countries.

The SPA statement followed earlier reports by Axios that the Saudi crown prince had expressed concern to Trump over reported plans for new large-scale US strikes on Iran and urged restraint.

Late Saturday, Trump announced that he had canceled planned military strikes on Iran after Tehran and "other Middle Eastern countries" requested time to finalize the framework of a peace agreement. He also said Israel had joined the commitment to pursue a diplomatic solution.