Several key U.S. allies in the Middle East are aiming to avoid a military conflict between Iran and the U.S. by engaging in 72 hours of intensive diplomacy, a Gulf official told CBS News.
Countries participating in the diplomatic push include Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and Oman, according to the Gulf official. The talks have focused on lowering the temperature of public rhetoric and avoiding military actions by these states that could lead to greater instability in the region.
To the US, the message has been to refrain from striking Iran, citing the security and economic vulnerability of the region, highlighting the risk that the US will also be affected in the end.
To Iran, the four Arab states conveyed that any counterattack against US facilities in the Gulf would have serious consequences for Iran’s relations with the countries of the region.
Thousands of American forces stationed in the Gulf region they can be targets Possible Iranian retaliation in the event of a US attack on Iran. USA he retired some employees from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar this week “as a precautionary measure,” a U.S. official told CBS News.
Two diplomatic sources told CBS News on Tuesday that Iran had explicitly notified some countries that they would be the target of an Iranian missile attack if the US struck. The US embassies in Qatar and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday told Americans to avoid going to military bases in those two countries.
“There is collective agreement that when this spirals into an armed military escalation, there could be many consequences,” the Gulf official told CBS News. “The tension has cooled temporarily, but we haven’t seen it yet. The next period will also be decisive.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters earlier Wednesday that many of the stories about Iran “have been based on anonymous sources who are pretending to know the president’s thinking or who are making things up.” Leavitt said Mr Trump continues to “closely monitor” the situation in Iran, and will “keep all his options on the table”.
Asked for comment, the White House referred CBS News to Leavitt’s remarks.
President Trump has repeatedly threatened to take action against Iran if its security forces continue their violent crackdown on nationwide protests that have gripped the country, raising hopes of possible US military strikes. Mr Trump said CBS News on Tuesday The US would take “very strong action” if Iranian authorities hang protesters.
The President He has reported several options It could be used against Iran, including conventional airstrikes, as well as cyber and psychological operations aimed at disrupting the country’s communications and state media, CBS News previously reported.
On the other hand, the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Mr. Trump against military strikes, calling on US officials to “stop their deceptive actions” earlier this week. Iran temporarily closed its airspace overnight on Wednesday, possibly indicating he was preparing for possible military action.
But on Wednesday, the president He proposed a military attack on Iran It may not be immediate, telling reporters that he heard “the killing of Iran is coming to a halt.” Asked if that meant military options were off the table, Mr Trump said: “We’ll see and see what the process is.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke by phone Prime Minister of Qatar and Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia on Thursday, the last two countries X.
The diplomatic campaign comes seven months after Mr Trump ordered airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities amid a days-long standoff between Iran and Israel. That conflict ended in a ceasefire after just two weeks.
So far, the latest round of diplomacy has not focused directly on a potential US-Iran nuclear deal. Current efforts are aimed at preventing attacks or escalation, with the goal of creating space for discussions on a nuclear deal and other issues.