Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received authorization from US President Donald Trump to conduct mediation talks between Iran and the United States aimed at reaching a new agreement, according to the Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar, which is affiliated with the Hezbollah terrorist organization.
The report said the parties are seeking an agreement that would resolve disputed issues related to Iran's nuclear program and the full range of sanctions on Tehran.
Sources quoted by the Arab daily said bin Salman explained to Trump that an agreement is needed to ensure stability across the Middle East and warned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government might attempt to disrupt the effort and initiate a new military escalation against Iran.
According to the information provided in the report, the Saudi side contacted Iran's leadership immediately after bin Salman concluded his White House visit. The sides reportedly agreed to hold a high-level meeting within the next 24 hours in Paris between senior Saudi and Iranian officials, followed by Saudi-led shuttle diplomacy between Washington and Tehran.
The sources said bin Salman had asked Iran's National Security Council chief Ali Larijani during their recent meeting in Riyadh about Tehran's position on a Saudi mediation initiative between Iran and Washington. According to the report, Larijani reiterated a positive response but stressed that Iran would not make concessions, especially after what the report described as the Israeli-American war against Iran last June.
The sources added that the Saudi side also discussed the importance of reaching an understanding with Iran to help facilitate reconciliation with Yemen, a point that appeared to face resistance from the pro-Israel American team. According to the report, this was the first time Saudi Arabia expressed concerns to the Americans about what it called a new Israeli gamble aimed at eliminating any chance for regional peace. The report noted that bin Salman and Trump agreed that stability in the Middle East cannot be achieved without an understanding with Iran and that Trump did not oppose the idea.
The developments come amid renewed debate in Tehran over the future of Iran's nuclear capability and the possibility that Western countries might seek to bring the issue before the UN Security Council following Iran's decision to stop working under its agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Koroush Ahmadi, a former diplomat and foreign policy expert, said the IAEA's recent resolution lacks any direct enforcement mechanism and that Iran's stance should therefore be viewed as proportional. Ahmadi told the state-run newspaper Iran that the Western decision not to refer the case to the Security Council may signal a Western message indicating a window of opportunity.
