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Saudi Crown Prince Urged Trump to Avoid Military Strikes

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged President Trump to cancel planned military strikes against Iran, leading Trump to suspend the operation pending a deal on the Strait of Hormuz.

Eleni Papadaki-Van Der Merwe Staff Writer

AUGUST 2, 2026 AT 4:58 PM

The American outlet reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reached out directly to US President Donald Trump on Saturday, pressing him to pull back from strike plans and pursue de-escalation instead, as Middle East Eye reports.

According to US officials cited by Axios, the Saudi leadership wanted greater transparency regarding the scope and intent of any American military action against Tehran before operations moved forward.

Trump Announces Strike Cancellation

On Sunday, President Trump announced he had called off the planned strikes. The decision, he said, was conditional on a deal that would require the complete reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s commitment to abandoning its nuclear programme.

The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints, with roughly a fifth of global oil supplies passing through the narrow waterway separating Iran from the Arabian Peninsula.

Riyadh’s Strategic Balancing Act

The Saudi intervention underscores the kingdom’s delicate position as both a key US ally and a regional power with direct exposure to Iranian retaliation. Riyadh has historically backed stronger Western containment of Tehran but remains wary of open conflict that could destabilise Gulf energy markets and threaten its own infrastructure.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s direct outreach to Trump signals Saudi Arabia’s intent to play a moderating role in preventing a wider confrontation that could engulf the region and disrupt global energy supplies.

The White House has not officially commented on the reported conversation between the two leaders.

With information from Middle East Eye

Eleni Papadaki-Van Der Merwe

She was born in 1986 in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is the granddaughter of an immigrant from Crete who settled in the Greek community of Johannesburg (one of the largest in Africa). She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Political Science from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg and a master’s degree in Journalism from Rhodes University in Grahamstown. She began her career at English-language media outlets in Johannesburg, covering politics and economics, with a focus on issues related to migration and the diaspora. She moved to Athens in 2015 to “return to her roots,” initially to pursue graduate studies, and has remained there permanently. She is married to an Afrikaner; they have two children and live in the southern suburbs of Athens.