Officials from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman have managed to dissuade US President Donald Trump from the idea of attacking Iran. According to a high-ranking Saudi official speaking to AFP, the three Gulf states have been very active diplomatically in the last few minutes, persuading Washington to refrain from drastic steps.
"The three Gulf countries made numerous diplomatic efforts at the last minute to persuade President Trump to give Iran the opportunity to demonstrate their goodwill," the official said.
He emphasized that this work did not stop there: the parties are still continuing negotiations without interrupting the dialogue with the US, "to strengthen the trust gained and preserve the current positive atmosphere." That is, the goal is to "cool down" the situation, resolve it with words, and prevent a new conflict.
Economic concerns are also mentioned here. As previously reported by The Wall Street Journal, Saudi-led Arab states have asked US officials to refrain from striking Tehran. Because it was said that a sharp step against the Iranian regime and an attempt to overthrow it could cause instability in oil markets, price fluctuations, and consequently, negatively affect the US economy.
In addition, there are certain signals from Iran. Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Mughamdam, stated that Donald Trump has already announced that he will not attack Tehran. In return, the US has asked Iran to remain calm and refrain from striking American targets in the region.
One of the reasons behind all this is the protests in Iran. After the protests began, Trump said that US officials were considering several "very tough" options. According to The New York Times, Trump has been presented with several scenarios for new strikes against Iran, including an option to strike civilian targets in Tehran.
However, on January 14, Trump, citing "reliable sources," stated that Iranian officials refused to execute the protesters. So, in Washington, too, the dispute between "sharp steps" and "political pressure" hasn't completely ended yet, but it seems diplomacy has so far shifted its course.
In conclusion, the Gulf states this time resorted to "preventive diplomacy": to reduce the flames before the conflict erupts. Now the most important task is to preserve this "positive environment," because if a spark appears in the region, its fire can ignite everyone from the oil market to security.
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