Tensions between the US and Iran have eased following diplomatic efforts that included direct talks between Tehran and Washington, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing three sources close to Arab governments.
According to the report, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, Oman and Egypt urged the Trump administration to exercise restraint and warned of the potential damage to Iran's neighbors in the event of a US strike. "The situation has calmed for now," an Arab official said. "The US is giving talks with Iran time."
Alongside the Financial Times report, Reuters said on Thursday that the alert level at the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar was lowered after being raised a day earlier. According to three sources, aircraft that had been evacuated from the base on Wednesday are gradually returning, and military personnel who had been instructed to leave have been cleared to come back.
The report said communication between the US and Iran enabled Iranian officials to assure President Donald Trump that protesters would not be executed and that the number of fatalities was lower than figures reported outside the country.
According to the Arab official, hopes are now growing that the contacts between Tehran and Washington, some of which may have been conducted through third parties such as Russia or Oman, will lead to further talks in the coming days.
Still, the military option remains on the table. "Trump is ready to pull the trigger and declare that the calm is a bluff," one source said. According to the source, the US president wants a "quick and clear result," similar to what he achieved through military intervention in Venezuela.
Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Arab Gulf states, led by Saudi Arabia, were pressing the Trump administration not to strike Iran. According to the report, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar warned the White House that an attempt to topple the Iranian regime would destabilize oil markets and ultimately harm the US economy. Saudi officials reportedly even assured Tehran that they would not intervene in a potential conflict and would not allow the US to use their airspace for attacks.
The Pakistani news site DAWN also reported this week that Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghaddam, said Trump had informed Tehran that he would not attack the country and had asked Iran to exercise restraint. According to the ambassador, overnight he received information indicating that Trump was not interested in war and had asked Iran not to attack US interests in the region.
