Saudi Arabia’s defense minister delivered a blunt message to Iranian officials in Tehran last month: Take US President Donald Trump’s offer to negotiate a nuclear agreement seriously, because it presents a way to avoid the risk of war with Israel.
Alarmed at the prospect of further instability in the region, Saudi Arabia’s 89-year-old King Salman bin Abdulaziz dispatched his son Prince Khalid bin Salman with the warning destined for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to two Gulf sources close to government circles and two Iranian officials.
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Present at the closed-door meeting in Tehran, which took place on April 17 in the presidential compound, were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, armed forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the sources said.
Prince Khalid, who was Saudi ambassador to Washington during Trump’s first term, warned Iranian officials that the US leader has little patience for drawn-out negotiations, according to the four sources.
Trump had unexpectedly announced just over a week earlier, in the presence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that direct talks were taking place with Tehran, aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.
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While the media covered the 37-year-old prince’s visit, the content of King Salman’s covert message has not been previously clarified.
In Tehran, Prince Khalid told the group of senior Iranian officials that Trump’s team would want to reach a deal quickly, and the window for diplomacy would close fast, according to the four sources.
The Saudi minister said it would be better to reach a deal with the US than face the possibility of an Israeli attack if the talks broke down, according to the two Gulf sources.