Saudi leaders, Netanyahu give Trump input on Iran war as it enters 6th month

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met with U.S. President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, sharing Riyadh's view that Iran is escalating the ongoing war by seeking leverage through proxy forces. The minister's visit, delayed by recent strikes, highlighted the Kingdom's concerns about regional stability.

Saudi Arabia, alongside the U.S., engaged in direct military action, striking Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and bombing Houthis in Yemen. These actions, described as defensive by the Kingdom, represent the first public involvement of a Persian Gulf nation in the conflict, which has now entered its sixth month. The strikes reportedly killed at least 20 people, including Iranian military advisers.

Saudi leaders, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prince Khalid, are reportedly worried that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who launched the war with the U.S. in February, is pushing for further escalation. Netanyahu met with President Trump and presented him with three potential strategies for the war.

According to a senior Israeli official, these options included a deal focused on removing Iran's nuclear material, implementing a blockade with added economic pressure, or conducting military strikes targeting supply routes. The official described the conversation between Netanyahu and Trump as "very clinical." Netanyahu later met with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other U.S. officials. The official also acknowledged that economic sanctions and blockades could be effective in encouraging more pragmatic Iranian officials toward diplomacy, though they offered only one name, Foreign Minister Abbas Aragc, when pressed about potential negotiating partners in Iran.

“

very clinical