Saudi Arabia's de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, reached out to President Donald Trump by telephone on Sunday to advocate for "de-escalation and diplomacy," according to a report by the kingdom's official state news outlet, SPA.
SPA reported that the crown prince - frequently referred to as MBS - initiated the discussion with Trump to discuss developments in the region and their regional and international implications."
During the exchange, the Saudi leader "stressed the need to prioritize dialogue to reduce escalation and the importance of making every possible effort to achieve calm that paves the way for diplomatic solutions, preserves the region's security and stability and prevents a wider conflict whose repercussions would affect regional and international security and stability," SPA detailed.
The phone call comes a day after Axios reported that the Saudi Crown Prince held a telephone conversation with Trump to express deep misgivings over potential broad-scale military strikes targeting Iran.
"The Saudis expressed concern and asked for clarity about the plan of action," one US official told Axios.
Some reports suggested that this phone call ultimately contributed to Trump’s decision, announced on Saturday night, to cancel a planned attack on Iran and allow for diplomacy.
On Sunday, Trump told reporters that talks between Iran and the United States will resume on Monday.
He was asked whether there is a deadline for Iran to come to an agreement and said, “We will see. Would I rather make a deal? I am not looking to kill people. Because people die. A lot of people die. We don’t want that."