Saudi ruler pleads with Trump not to strike new Iran targets as Middle East teeters on the brink of all-out war

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has reportedly expressed concern to President Donald Trump over his plans to hit Iran with further airstrikes. 

The leader of Saudi Arabia called the president on Saturday to voice his concerns and urge Trump not to carry out the strikes, two US officials and a third source told Axios. 

One source told the outlet that Prince Salman urged Trump to deescalate the situation and to not launch further strikes. 

A US official added: ‘The Saudis expressed concern and asked for clarity about the plan of action.’

The White House on Friday signaled that Trump is weighing carrying out new strikes on Iran as the US presses for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 

They are also calling on the nation to abide by terms set out in a truce agreement the two sides forged last month which quickly collapsed.

The President was bombastic at a televised meeting with his Cabinet at Camp David in which he vowed to hit the nation.

‘We will be hitting them very hard and you know at some point, they’re going to say, ‘We just can’t take it anymore.’ 

Smoke is seen here rising following multiple US strikes hit the city of Ahvaz in the Khuzestan Province in Iran on Thursday

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt expressed the US administration’s frustration anew, charging that Tehran last month signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. on a truce but then quickly ‘broke it, shot at commercial ships, and killed American soldiers.’ 

‘President Trump is not going to stand by and allow this terrorist behavior to occur,’ Leavitt said in a statement on Friday evening. 

‘Iran will continue to pay until they come to the table in, what President Trump deems, a meaningful way.’

Leavitt issued the fresh warning after Trump earlier on Friday told reporters that “we just want to win” in Iran and signaled that he expected US military action to continue for some time.

The Wall Street Journal claimed Trump has already given his approval for strikes that could begin this weekend and last a few days, citing several officials. 

Axios, on the other hand, reported that Trump ‘hasn’t given final orders to do it.’ 

A report from CBS News emerged on Friday which cited sources as saying that the US and Israel are preparing ‘one of the harshest bombing campaigns to date’ against Iran’s energy infrastructure. 

While the president has not yet given the final green light, several insiders told the outlet that strikes could begin as soon as this weekend, with Israel already notified and coordinating with Washington.

‘The Department of War is locked and loaded, ready to execute the President’s directives at a moment’s notice,’ Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement, though refused to comment on intended targets.

One source told Axios that Prince Salman urged Trump to deescalate the situation and to not launch further strikes, the pair are seen here last November

Smoke rises following explosion at an unknown location, during what U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) says are strikes on Iran

Both Iran and the United States plotted out new strikes after several days of back and fourth between the two nations

Meanwhile, an Israeli official told the outlet: ‘Israel is unaware of any decision to restart full military operations, nor has Israel been asked to join any military action against Iran.’

A former US military official told CBS News that striking Iran’s energy infrastructure would aim to cripple the regime’s ability to support its military, provide services and maintain control.

A joint operation would see Israel return to the battlefield after pausing its attacks under the US-brokered truce. Iran has not struck Israel since the agreement fell apart and Washington restarted combat operations in early July.

A senior Iranian security official vowed Tehran has ‘the capacity and the will’ to retaliate against any US and Israeli strikes, claiming ‘extensive response plans’ are already prepared.

The unnamed official told Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency that potential US-Israeli attacks would amount to a ‘form of recklessness’ on their part.

The Iranian official claimed the ‘comprehensive’ plan includes strikes on ‘the vital infrastructure of the Zionist regime and US energy infrastructure in the region.’

A joint operation would see Israel return to the battlefield after pausing its attacks under the US-brokered truce. Israeli soldiers are seen here in the Israeli-occupied West Bank 

Trump’s comments come as the US demands Tehran reopen the Strait of Hormuz and honor a truce agreement that was forged last month but quickly fell apart

‘We are fully prepared to carry it out,’ the official added.

Many believe that regardless of what Trump does, they want the operation complete by the time Wall Street opens for business on Monday to avoid any economic damage. 

Iran fired drones at Kuwait, a Gulf country hosting US forces, and said it had also fired at oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global oil and gas shipments, which has been largely closed by the fighting.

Kuwait’s Defense Ministry said Friday its armed forces had shot down drones inside Kuwaiti airspace.

It said the Iranian attacks had targeted several vital military facilities, causing material damage from falling shrapnel but no casualties.  It did not specify how many drones were intercepted. 

Iranian state media said Iran had targeted an air base in Kuwait with drones in retaliation for US strikes on Thursday.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed to have hit two oil tankers attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.  Iranian state media said four other tankers had turned around. 

As uncertainty continues to brew, Americans were told to be ready to flee ten countries in the Middle East on Saturday. 

The warning covers 10 countries: the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Oman, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and, most recently, Egypt.