THE GUARDIAN: President claims delay is ‘subject to being able to rapidly make a deal’ as intervention by Saudi crown prince is revealed and Iran warns neighbours
Donald Trump said on Saturday night that the US would hold off on any new strikes on Iran provided a deal to end the months-long conflict is quickly reached – marking the president’s latest climbdown from extravagant threats to hit the Tehran regime hard.
The Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump on Saturday to express concerns about his strike plans, it was reported. Trump’s reversal also came after Iran threatened to retaliate decisively against its neighbours in the event of US strikes, while Kuwait reported being hit by Iranian drones on Saturday and two ships were attacked off Oman in the strait of Hormuz.
One source described as having knowledge of the Trump-Mohammed call told Axios that the Saudi crown prince had “urged Trump to de-escalate and refrain from launching the strikes”.
The Associated Press also reported the conversation, citing its own source. It said the Saudis were concerned that if the US targets Iran’s energy infrastructure or carries out massive strikes on other key infrastructure, Tehran could respond by carrying out similar attacks on the kingdom and other Gulf countries.
The crown prince during Saturday’s call sought clarity from Trump on what potential new action he was weighing to take against Iran, the Associated Press reported. » | Guardian staff and agencies | Sunday, August 2, 2026
Donald Trump has got himself into a bind with this illegal and totally unnecessary war on Iran. He’s in a right old pickle! Netanyahu has clearly led him up the garden path! It seems to me that America has little hope of being victorious in this war. Victory is surely Iran’s for the taking.
Americans are past masters at starting wars, but winning the wars they have started is a very different story. — © Mark Alexander
ALSO READ THIS NYT ARTICLE:
Trump Says He Is Canceling Strikes on Iran, Pending a Rapid Deal: President Trump said he agreed to requests from Iran and other Middle Eastern countries to cancel planned attacks, citing what he said was progress in reaching the “perimeters of a deal” with Tehran. »
