The leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates opposed a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities during US President Donald Trump’s recent visit to the Middle East and urged him to push for a new nuclear deal. This was reported by Axios, citing three sources.
According to the publication’s interlocutors, the Gulf leaders fear that their countries will become targets of Iranian retaliation in case of strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The publication also said that Trump was considering announcing during his trip to the Middle East the renaming of the Persian Gulf as the Arab Gulf. The sources clarified that before leaving, the president changed his mind and decided he didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Gulf countries opposed Trump’s idea due to fears of tensions with Iran after the renaming.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Gulf states opposed the nuclear deal in 2015.
Earlier this week, sources told The New York Times that the Israeli government was sceptical of Tehran and Washington’s negotiations on a new nuclear deal and was allegedly preparing to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities. The newspaper’s interlocutors noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fears that Iran will retain the right to enrich uranium.
The Israeli side said that reports about the preparation of strikes are not true.
Trump himself, speaking to reporters at a White House briefing, said he had warned Netanyahu against strikes on Iran. In April, Trump allowed for a force scenario against Iran if the sides failed to reach an agreement.
Israel’s Channel 12 TV reported that Trump and Netanyahu had a phone conversation on 22 May, and the conversation was in elevated tones. According to journalists, the US president tried to convince the Israeli prime minister to resolve the issue of Iran’s nuclear programme through negotiations, while Netanyahu, on the contrary, insisted on a military operation against Iran.
Trump has insisted that Iran abandon its nuclear programme, which the US and Israel believe could soon lead to Tehran developing nuclear weapons. Iran denies that it has set itself such a goal.
Iranian authorities say they have no confidence in the administration of the 47th US president since Trump pulled out in 2018 of the United States nuclear deal struck by world powers and Iran in 2015. The agreement called for Iran to halt its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions.
Washington does not trust Iran’s claims that it does not seek to possess nuclear weapons. This position is shared by Israel.
Washington and Tehran have held five rounds of indirect talks on Iran’s nuclear programme. The mediator is Oman. Trump did not rule out direct contacts between the US and Iranian sides.