Saudi Arabia Dismisses Trump Lobbying Claims Over Iran Strike

Rumours have circulated alleging that Saudi Arabia had a role in facilitating United States military action against Iran. Reports claim that Saudi authorities lobbied US President Donald Trump to carry out strikes against Iran.

The leading American media outlet The Washington Post reported that Saudi Arabia conducted covert lobbying of Trump over recent weeks and months. The Saudi Embassy in Washington refuted the report from The Washington Post, which cited four sources familiar with the matter, according to reports from Al Arabiya on Monday 2 March 2026.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has consistently supported diplomatic efforts to reach a credible agreement with Iran,” said Saudi Embassy spokesperson Fahad Nazer in a statement via social media platform X. “We have never, throughout all our communications with the Trump administration, lobbied the President to adopt different policies,” Nazer stated emphatically.

Saudi Arabia is among Gulf states that have sought to prevent military confrontation in the Middle East region, and has publicly stated that Riyadh will not be part of any potential war. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), who also serves as the kingdom’s de facto ruler, told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in a telephone conversation on 26 January that Saudi Arabia would not permit its airspace or territory to be used for any military strikes against Iran.

Following a massive US and Israeli assault on Saturday 28 February local time, Iran launched attacks against neighbouring countries hosting US forces. The US, alongside Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), signed a joint statement on Sunday 1 March evening condemning Iran for targeting their nations and civilians in the region.

The US and Israeli strikes against Iran killed senior leadership and top officials in Tehran, including the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had held power for the past 36 years.