Diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions across the Middle East have taken a sharp turn after Saudi Arabia successfully pushed the United States to prioritize a ceasefire in Lebanon, with the goal of preserving fragile negotiations between Washington and Tehran and clearing the way for the reopening of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, multiple senior sources from the US, European and Arab nations have confirmed to Middle East Eye.
According to Arab and Western officials familiar with the exchange, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman directly pressed US President Donald Trump on the urgency of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanese armed groups during a private telephone conversation held Wednesday. Just 24 hours after that call, Trump made a public announcement of a planned 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon, a step multiple sources attribute directly to intensive lobbying from Riyadh.
Despite the announcement, major questions remain unresolved: it is still uncertain whether Israel will adhere to the truce terms, and it remains unclear what level of pressure the Trump administration will ultimately bring to bear on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to enforce the pause. Domestically, Lebanon has also faced internal friction over the deal: Hezbollah has publicly criticized the Lebanese government for holding rare direct negotiations with Israel over the ceasefire framework.
A Western official with direct knowledge of the phone call between the two leaders told Middle East Eye that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made clear that securing a Lebanon ceasefire is a non-negotiable prerequisite to reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending broader regional hostilities.
Further diplomatic meetings are already in the works, sources confirm: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan is scheduled to hold talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as early as next week, and Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman – the crown prince’s brother and close senior advisor – is expected to join the meeting. Saudi diplomatic teams have also begun circulating a formal negotiation position paper across regional and international capitals, according to Western and Arab officials.
Last week, Trump stated that Netanyahu had agreed to “scale back” Israeli military operations in Lebanon following formal complaints from Iran over ongoing strikes, but a formal, publicly announced ceasefire represents a far more significant step toward de-escalation. Tehran has repeatedly made clear that no meaningful talks with Washington can proceed without a full ceasefire in Lebanon. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and a top Iranian nuclear and security negotiator have both reaffirmed this position in recent statements.
A two-week US-Iran truce, mediated by Pakistan, was announced earlier this month and explicitly included Lebanon in its terms, but Israeli strikes on Lebanese territory continued uninterrupted after the deal was struck. If the newly announced 10-day ceasefire holds, it is expected to clear the way for Washington and Tehran to extend their bilateral truce, which is set to expire on April 21. Trump confirmed Wednesday that formal negotiations could resume in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad as soon as within the next 48 hours.
Pakistan has publicly emerged as the primary intermediary between the US and Iran, but multiple Western and Arab officials note that Islamabad’s diplomatic maneuvering would not be possible without extensive backing from Saudi Arabia, a long-time strategic ally and major financial patron of Pakistan. The two nations maintain a formal mutual defense pact, and Riyadh has repeatedly stepped in to provide critical economic support to Islamabad during periods of financial strain. Just this week, Saudi Arabia agreed to issue a $3 billion loan to cash-strapped Pakistan to help the country cover an urgent debt repayment to the United Arab Emirates.
A senior Western official noted that Saudi Arabia holds unique influence to encourage Trump to prioritize mediation and acknowledge the importance of Iran’s demand for a Lebanese ceasefire. The kingdom has walked a careful diplomatic line in recent months: it initially opposed large-scale US military strikes on Iran, but ultimately provided limited support to Washington, including opening the King Fahd Air Base in Taif to US operations after Iranian strikes damaged infrastructure at the US-run Prince Sultan Air Base, a development first revealed exclusively by Middle East Eye. Riyadh also previously pushed the US to maintain targeted strikes on Iranian positions after Iranian-aligned groups attacked Saudi and regional energy infrastructure.
“Saudi Arabia answered the US call and did the minimum necessary to appease Trump. But now they are focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and a ceasefire. They don’t want further escalation. It’s a dance,” the senior Western official told Middle East Eye. This aligns with earlier reporting from The Wall Street Journal, which revealed that Saudi Arabia has already urged Trump to reject proposals for a US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
At present, Saudi Arabia is able to bypass Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz via the East-West pipeline that connects Gulf oil fields to the Red Sea, allowing the kingdom to export roughly 5 million barrels of crude oil per day despite the closure. Riyadh’s current top priority is preventing the closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait by Houthi forces in Yemen, another critical chokepoint for global energy trade.