By MATTHEW LEE, FARNOUSH AMIRI and MICHELLE L. PRICE
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. allies and partners in the Middle East again are urging restraint from both the United States and Iran as the Trump administration warns of a possible strike and builds up its military presence in the region, according to an Arab diplomat familiar with the matter.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Oman and Qatar have all been in touch with leaders in Washington and Tehran to make the case that an escalation by either or both sides would cause massive destabilization throughout the region and affect energy markets, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic discussions.
Arab and Muslim states in the region fear that any type of U.S. attack on Iran would prompt a response from Tehran that would, in the immediate term, likely be directed at them or American interests in their countries that could cause collateral damage, the official said.
Saudi Arabia’s defense minister is in Washington for high-level talks with the Trump administration and is also expected to deliver that message, the official added. Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman said on social media Friday that he discussed ”efforts to advance regional and global peace and stability” with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The words of caution come as President Donald Trump has shifted his rationale for possible U.S. military action against Iran in recent days from a response to the deadly crackdown on nationwide protests to a deterrent of the country’s nuclear program. That is even as he insists Iranian nuclear sites were “obliterated” in U.S. strikes in June.
Trump says he wants to make a deal
Trump on Friday said he hoped to make a deal with Iran but told reporters: “If we don’t make a deal, we’ll see what happens.”
He was cryptic when asked if he had given Iran a deadline, saying, “Only they know for sure.” He affirmed that he had communicated his threats to the country’s officials directly but did not offer any details.
Trump’s return to the nuclear issue should not necessarily be seen as a shift in tactics but rather part of a broader approach toward dealing with Iran and the threat the U.S. believes it poses to its people and the region, according to two administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the president’s thinking.
One of the officials said Trump had initially focused on the protests inside Iran as a way of both encouraging demonstrators who might at some point force a change in Iranian policies and warning Tehran of consequences for mistreating them.
Trump said Friday that Iran heeded his earlier earnings about holding off from executing protesters, which he said he appreciated, but he then acknowledged, “A lot of people are being killed.”
At the same time, Iran’s nuclear threat has remained the larger concern for both the U.S. and the region, particularly Israel. So, the official said it made sense to Trump to remind Iran’s leadership that the ultimate goal is to eliminate that threat.
“Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform this week. “Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!”
A senior administration official stressed that Trump “has all options at his disposal.” That official did not offer details about whether the White House had any indications that Iran was taking steps to rebuild its nuclear program.
Iran says it’s ready for talks but also ‘ready for war’
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday while meeting Turkish officials in Istanbul that his country is ready for dialogue to resolve tensions but that there are no concrete plans for talks with his U.S. counterparts.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran, just as it is ready for negotiations, it is also ready for war,” he added.
Ankara has been working to reduce the tensions, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offering during a telephone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian earlier Friday to act as a “facilitator” between Iran and the U.S., according to his office.
Earlier in the month, the Republican president backed down from ordering any strikes after telling Iranians to keep protesting, to “take over” government institutions and that “help is on the way.” He said he had received assurances that Iran would not execute some 800 of protesters it had detained.
Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests began as demonstrations in late December against economic woes but broadened into a challenge to the Islamic Republic’s theocracy. Activists say the crackdown has killed at least 6,540 people.
Trump, meanwhile, referenced a “massive armada” of U.S. warships in the region. The U.S. military has bolstered its presence with the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and three guided-missile destroyers, which brought thousands of additional service members and joined other destroyers and ships in the Middle East.
The Arab official said the region’s message to the U.S. is that it should proceed with extreme caution, mindful of the havoc that could ensue. The message to Iran, meanwhile, is that if the U.S. does strike, it should carefully calibrate how it responds and not take action that would affect its neighbors, the official said.
U.S. assets in Qatar, for instance, were the target of Iranian retaliation after Trump ordered airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities last year.
The official added that ideally nothing would come to pass other than a period of extreme anxiety but stressed that the situation was unpredictable and that no one other than Trump knows if an attack will be coming.
Amiri reported from New York. Associated Press writer Mehmet Guzel in Istanbul contributed to this report.
