Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman directly appealed to US President Donald Trump on Saturday to reconsider reported plans for large-scale military strikes on Iran, according to US officials and sources cited by Axios. The telephone call, confirmed by a White House official who declined to discuss its substance, saw the Saudi leader request clarity on Washington’s intended course of action and urge de-escalation rather than a new offensive. The intervention came as the Trump administration was said to be weighing a major military operation, with The Wall Street Journal reporting that the president had ordered troops to prepare for strikes over the weekend.

Viewed from Riyadh, the primary concern is that an American attack on Iranian power plants, refineries or other energy infrastructure would trigger a direct Iranian response against Saudi Arabia and neighbouring Gulf states. Sources with knowledge of the call told Axios that the crown prince fears an unprecedented regional escalation. Saudi officials assess that Tehran could target oilfields, refineries and energy installations across the Gulf, threatening not only the kingdom’s security but also global energy supplies, given the region’s role as a leading production centre.

Other regional capitals have moved in parallel. Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Pakistan also asked Trump to avoid an escalation, Axios reported. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, separately contacted his counterparts in Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to warn that any act of aggression by the United States or Israel would be met with a “decisive and proportional” response. The US State Department, meanwhile, issued security alerts for its citizens in ten Middle Eastern countries, including Bahrain, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, advising them to prepare for possible flight cancellations, airspace closures and travel disruptions.

Israeli defence officials have raised their alert level in anticipation of a possible resumption of large US strikes, two Israeli sources told The Jerusalem Post. CBS News reported that Israel was planning to join the United States in targeting Iranian energy infrastructure. Amid the heightened tensions, indirect talks between Washington and Tehran on Saturday yielded some progress but no agreement, according to Axios. The White House has yet to announce any final decision on military action, and the Saudi embassy in Washington declined to comment on the call.