Gulf states and Turkey warned Donald Trump not to launch airstrikes against Iran in a last-minute lobbying campaign, fearing an attack would lead to a major and intractable conflict across the Middle East. The warnings from longstanding US allies appear to have helped persuade the president to hold off for the moment on a military assault.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and Oman were among those urging restraint. Saudi Arabia, in particular, denied the US use of its airspace for any attacks. The Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, conferred by phone with his counterparts from Iran, Oman and Turkey on Thursday.
Iran has been seeking to improve relations with Gulf states, with its foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, undertaking a series of visits to Arab capitals. He visited Bahrain last year, the first Iranian minister to do so since 2010, and also made four visits to Cairo in an effort to improve ties severed in 2016.
The Saudi-Iranian relationship, once fraught, has been on a recovery path for three years. Araghchi has been trying to persuade Gulf states that Iran is less of a risk than Israel, a case bolstered after Israel bombed Doha in September, reportedly killing five Hamas members. The US apologised to Qatar and offered new security guarantees.
As tensions mounted, the US withdrew key personnel from the al-Udeid airbase in Qatar after Tehran threatened to hit US bases if attacked. The withdrawal underscores how static US bases in the region could be a source of vulnerability. Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson called for a return to the negotiating table, while Turkey's foreign minister urged dialogue.
