Saudi Arabia intensifies direct engagement with Iran to end West Asia conflict: Report

Saudi Arabia has intensified direct engagement with Iran in an effort to contain the escalating conflict in West Asia, which is disrupting regional stability and placing pressure on global markets, according to several European officials.

In recent days, Saudi officials have increasingly relied on diplomatic backchannels with Iran to push for de-escalation and prevent the situation from deteriorating further. The officials told Bloomberg that a number of European and West Asian countries are supporting these efforts.

They added that the contacts have involved both security officials and diplomats, though it remains unclear whether senior political leaders have taken part. So far, Iran has shown little willingness to engage in negotiations with the United States or Israel. Officials at the Saudi foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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West Asia feels sidelined

The Trump administration is confronting mounting discontent from allies in the Persian Gulf who have complained they were not given adequate time to prepare for the torrent of Iranian drones and missiles bombarding their countries in retaliation for strikes launched by the US and Israel.

Officials from two Gulf countries said their governments were disappointed in the way the U.S. has handled the war, particularly the initial attack on Iran on Feb. 28. They said their countries were not given advance notice of the U.S.-Israeli attack and complained the U.S. had ignored their warnings that the war would have devastating consequences for the entire region.

One of the officials said that Gulf countries were frustrated and even angry that the US military had not defended them enough. He said there is a belief in the region that the operation has focused on defending Israel and American troops, while leaving Gulf countries to protect themselves, and said that his country’s stock of interceptors was “rapidly depleting.”

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White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in response: “Iran’s retaliatory ballistic missile attacks have decreased by 90% because Operation Epic Fury is crushing their ability to shoot these weapons or produce more. President Trump is in close contact with all of our regional partners, and the terrorist Iranian regime’s attacks on its neighbors prove how imperative it was that President Trump eliminate this threat to our country and our allies.”

With inputs from agencies