The Saudi Arabia defense minister reportedly met with President Donald Trump on Wednesday to deliver a message from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the war with Iran.
Prince Khalid bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s defense minister and a close adviser to the crown prince, met with Trump at the White House after first meeting with Vice President JD Vance, according to Axios.
The visit came as Saudi Arabia sought to reassure Washington that although it is prepared to defend itself against Iranian-backed aggression, it still favors de-escalation over a broader regional war.
According to Axios, Prince Khalid told Vance that attacks by Iranian-backed militias on Saudi infrastructure and energy facilities had crossed a “red line,” forcing Riyadh to participate alongside U.S. Central Command in strikes against militia targets in Iraq.
The source said the minister stressed that the operation should not be interpreted as Saudi support for escalating the conflict with Iran.
The U.S.-Saudi strikes followed more than 30 drone attacks allegedly directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and carried out by proxy militias against Saudi targets over a 72-hour period, according to CENTCOM.
Saudi Arabia confirmed it coordinated the operation with U.S. forces.
Prince Khalid also reportedly told Vance that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu favors increasing pressure on Iran, whereas Saudi leaders believe diplomacy offers a better path to restoring regional stability.
Axios reported that the kingdom continues negotiations with the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen and believes it can manage that front without additional U.S. military involvement.
The White House meeting came a day after Netanyahu met with Trump to discuss regional security challenges, including developments involving Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, tensions continued to rise Wednesday after U.S. officials said Iran launched five ballistic missiles toward U.S. military assets in Jordan.
Trump said all five missiles were intercepted and warned Tehran that the United States would respond forcefully.
“We’re going to hit them very hard,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, adding that Iran had “already apologized,” but “we got to smack them a little bit.”
Iran said it targeted a U.S. base in Jordan in retaliation for what it called American military aggression.
The renewed hostilities rattled financial markets, with oil prices surging and major U.S. stock indexes falling sharply amid fears the five-month conflict could widen further.
Reuters reported Wednesday that Saudi Arabia is also working to assemble an international coalition to protect Red Sea shipping from escalating Houthi attacks, underscoring Riyadh’s effort to safeguard global energy supplies while avoiding a direct military confrontation with Iran.