Gulf states Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman led frantic last-minute diplomacy to avert a US attack on Iran, fearing uncontrollable regional blowbacks, a senior Saudi official says.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman led a frantic last-minute diplomatic effort to convince US President Donald Trump not to attack Iran, a senior Saudi official said.
The Gulf trio aimed to “avoid an uncontrollable situation in the region”, the official told AFP on Thursday on condition of anonymity.
“We told Washington that an attack on Iran would open the way for a series of grave blowbacks in the region,” the official added.
The effort sought to “convince President Trump to give Iran a chance to show good intention”, with dialogue still continuing.
It followed mounting fears of a US strike over Iran’s crackdown on protesters, which prompted some personnel to be moved from a major US base in Qatar.
Staff at US missions in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait were also warned to exercise caution.
The United States has repeatedly warned it could intervene against the deadly crackdown, while Tehran has threatened to retaliate against US military and shipping targets.
Many US bases and assets are located in the Gulf.
Trump later changed course, saying he had received assurances from “very important sources on the other side” that Iran would not execute demonstrators.
“It was a sleepless night to defuse more bombs in the region,” the Saudi official said.
Another Gulf official said Iran was warned that attacking US facilities in the Gulf would harm its relations with regional countries.
