The leaders of Iran and Saudi Arabia spoke on the phone Wednesday to unite in support of Palestinians — their first communication since agreeing to end seven years of hostilities earlier this year.
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi discussed the “need to end war crimes against Palestine,” according to Iran’s state news agency.
The crown prince, widely known as MBS, said his nation was “communicating with all international and regional parties to stop the ongoing escalation” started by Hamas terrorists who slaughtered more than 1,300 people in Israel Oct. 7, according to Saudi state news agency SPA.
Despite the unprecedented horror of the Hamas attack, the Saudi ruler reiterated his “kingdom’s firm position towards supporting the Palestinian cause,” SPA added.
MBS also reiterated Saudi Arabia’s rejection of targeting civilians in any way, SPA said.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman had been exploring diplomatic ties with Israel at the behest of President Biden’s administration before last week’s Hamas terror attack. VIA REUTERSThe call marked the first communication between the men since March, when they agreed to restore diplomacy between Riyadh and Tehran under a deal negotiated by China.
Iran is a longtime backer of Hamas, but it has denied having a hand in the brutal coordinated attack Saturday by the terror group that rules the Gaza Strip.
Saudi Arabia and Israel were nearing the establishment of historic diplomatic ties at the time of Saturday’s attack following a years’-long diplomatic push by the US to thaw relations between the Jewish state and its Arab neighbors.
Iranian President Raisi and Mohammad resumed diplomatic ties earlier this year in a deal brokered by China. Raisi’s government is a backer of Hamas, which is deemed a terror organization by the US. ZUMAPRESS.comA senior US State Department official said Washington, which staunchly backs Israel in its fight against Hamas, was also in “constant contact with Saudi leaders.”
The official added that the US was asking its partners with channels or relations with Hamas, Lebanon-based Hezbollah or Iran “to get Hamas to stand down from its attacks, to release hostages, keep Hezbollah out (and) keep Iran out of the fray.”
MBS, 38, also spoke to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday to convey his “unremitting efforts” to coordinate a “halt of the current escalation.”
Smoke rises following Israeli airstrikes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Thursday. APA similar message was delivered to French President Emmanuel Macron by the crown prince.
MBS told Macron his kingdom did not support “targeting civilians or disrupting the infrastructure and vital interests that affect their daily lives,” according to a Saudi Foreign Ministry readout.
The calls came as President Biden faced pressure from some Republicans to halt Iran’s oil exports, which could result in a worldwide gas price spike.
“I think it’s now time for us to consider with our friends in Israel to hit Iran’s oil economy,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told WSPA-TV Monday. “If there is an escalation of this war, I am urging the Biden administration and the Israelis to jointly come up with a plan to destroy Iran’s oil infrastructure.
“Without oil, they have no money. Without money, terrorism loses its biggest benefactor.”
With Post wires
