The ongoing US-Israeli war against Iran surmounted a familiar hurdle on Sunday as President Donald Trump backtracked after threatening a massive escalation. He credited Gulf allies for the capitulation — adding that a fresh round of negotiations would begin with Tehran from Monday. But the seeming lack of a coherent US strategy has reportedly left regional allies extremely frustrated with the Trump administration.
“We are talking to them [the Iranians] in the form of a negotiation; it begins tomorrow afternoon, and we’ll see how it goes. I’d love to do that. It’ll save a lot of lives, a lot of unnecessary power, to be honest with you. We are ready to go whenever we want. Would I rather make a deal? I’m not looking to kill people, because a lot of people die; we don’t want that. So they asked us, Iran specifically, but the other three, they asked us,” Trump said on Sunday night.
The President said he had asked the “other three” — namely Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar — for inputs about how to handle the situation. The diplomatic outreach came hours after he announced on Sunday that a plan was in place for US forces to carry out “the biggest attack since World War II”.
Gulf allies ‘frustrated’ with Trump: Report
According to a Wall Street Journal report, growing impatience has mounted across Gulf nations over the apparent lack of a coherent US strategy for the Iran conflict. The prolonged war has also left regional allies vulnerable to recurring Iranian strikes and intensified broader security apprehensions across the region.
The publication cited sources to add that these countries had recently approached Washington requesting supplementary air-defence interceptors. They have also demanded explicit guarantees that American forces will maintain their protective umbrella if the military stand-off drags on.
Trump also highlighted a conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for helping change his mind about a fresh attack. The WSJ report added that the Crown Prince had sought detailed clarity regarding Washington’s long-term strategy towards Iran and the proposed air strikes.
‘They prefer a deal to an attack’: Trump
The escalation began on Friday as Trump grimly declared that he was “losing faith” in negotiations with Iran. Flanked by his Cabinet, the POTUS warned that the military “will be hitting them very hard.” Fiery rhetoric from both sides continued for much of the weekend before Trump announced that he would be giving diplomacy another chance.
He added that the decision was taken after hearing from key Gulf leaders as well as requests from unnamed Iranian officials.
“I said to the crown prince: ‘What would you rather do? Would you rather us do this or not?’ They said we would much prefer a deal as opposed to an attack, because you don’t know where these attacks lead,” AP news quoted Trump as saying.
The remarks were delivered on board Air Force One as he flew back to Washington after spending the weekend at his golf club in New Jersey.