Demonstrators burn a poster depicting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally in support of anti-government protests in Iran, in Holon, Israel Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Egypt have reportedly conducted intense diplomacy with the United States to prevent a possible US military intervention in Iran. According to Reuters, the four Arab states were involved in the diplomacy over 48 hours before Trump signalled on Wednesday that he had ultimately decided against an attack for now, saying the killings in Iran were easing.
‘Entire region will be affected’
The Arab states feared that a US attack on Iran would have impacts across the region.
The four countries had conveyed to Washington that any attack would have consequences for the wider region in terms of both security and economics that would ultimately impact the United States itself, a Gulf official told Reuters.
Demonstrators attend a rally in support of Iran’s anti-government protests, in Holon, Israel Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
They told Iran that any retaliatory attack it launched on US facilities in the Gulf would have consequences for Tehran’s relations with other countries in the region, the official added.
The official said that the diplomatic efforts had focused on toning down the rhetoric and avoiding any military action that could spark wider regional instability and that this diplomacy could ultimately lead to talks on the dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme.
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Gulf states are fearful that US military facilities in their countries could be caught in any Iranian retaliation to the American attacks, and that the energy facilities underpinning the regional economy could also end up being targeted.
On January 2, just days after the protests broke out in Iran, Trump had warned that the US was ‘locked and loaded’ to support the demonstrators.
Over the next few days, as Iran continued to crack down on protests, Trump also increased his rhetoric about a possible US military intervention.
FILE – In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP, file)
However, there were also reports that Israel and Arab countries had convinced Trump to hold off the military action, as the Iranian regime wasn’t weakened enough to be toppled.
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Regime has American blood on its hands: Lindsey Graham
Responding to reports of the Arab mediation efforts, Republican Senator and Trump ally, Lindsey Graham, said it was ‘beyond disturbing’.
“All the headlines suggesting that our so-called Arab allies have intervened on behalf of Iran to avoid decisive military action by President Trump are beyond disturbing. The ayatollah’s regime has American blood on its hands. They are slaughtering people in the streets,” Graham said in a post on X.
“If it is accurate that the Arab response is “action is not necessary against Iran” given this current outrageous slaughter of innocent people, then there will be a dramatic rethinking on my part regarding the nature of the alliances now and in the future,” he added.
All the headlines suggesting that our so-called Arab allies have intervened on behalf of Iran to avoid decisive military action by President Trump are beyond disturbing. The ayatollah’s regime has American blood on its hands. They are slaughtering people in the streets.
Internet service has been suspended across Iran for a week now, due to which the extent of the ongoing crackdown is unclear. According to Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO), a total of 3,428 people were killed in the country until January 14.
Protesters participate in a demonstration in support of the nationwide mass protests in Iran against the government, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
On Wednesday, Trump had suggested that the killings and executions had stopped in Iran.
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“We’ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping – it’s stopped – it’s stopping. And there’s no plan for executions, or an execution, or execution – so I’ve been told that on good authority,” Trump said.
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Demonstrators burn a poster depicting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally in support of anti-government protests in Iran, in Holon, Israel Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) 
