President Donald Trump cancelled planned attacks on Iran after Saudi Arabia warned that strikes during the Hajj pilgrimage would cause serious “reputational damage”, according to a report by Middle East Eye. The US leader had threatened to restart a bombing campaign after efforts to reach a deal appeared deadlocked, but later backtracked, saying he was in no rush to end the conflict.
Two senior Gulf officials told the outlet that Trump was informed America’s standing within the Muslim world would suffer if attacks were carried out during the holy period. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims would also be stranded if war broke out, causing chaos in the run-up to Eid-ul-Adha. Around one million visitors travel to Saudi Arabia annually for the pilgrimage.
A senior US official confirmed the discussions, stating Trump was warned by his own team of the “reputational damage”. All three officials expect the war to resume in the coming weeks after the Islamic festival ends. The US did attack Iran during Ramadan this year, but the logistical issues caused by the pilgrimage would be particularly severe.
Within Iran, the conflict sparked by US-Israeli strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on 28 February is referred to as the “Ramadan War”. Reports indicate Iran has been rebuilding its military capacity faster than expected during a six-week ceasefire, restarting drone production, replacing missile sites, and reigniting production capacity, according to US intelligence officials.
Top Iranian diplomat Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf said on Wednesday that the country had used the opportunity to “rebuild” its strength. Iran threatened to escalate the conflict “beyond the region” if the US restarted attacks. A White House briefing by JD Vance noted that “a lot of good progress has been made” in recent negotiations with Tehran, though the outcome remains uncertain.
