In a week marked by high-stakes diplomacy and shifting alliances, the relationship between the United States, Saudi Arabia, and key regional actors has taken center stage, revealing both aspirations for peace and the formidable obstacles that remain. The latest developments, reported by a range of outlets including the Saudi Press Agency, Axios, Al-Akhbar, and Israel Hayom, paint a picture of a Middle East at a crossroads, with Washington and Riyadh working closely—but not always harmoniously—on issues from Israeli normalization to Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
On November 18, 2025, President Donald Trump hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (commonly known as MBS) at the White House. The meeting, which followed the end of the war in Gaza, was widely anticipated as a potential breakthrough for Middle East peace. Trump, emboldened by what he described as a new era of opportunity, pressed MBS to join the Abraham Accords, the 2020 initiative that normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states. According to Axios, Trump was candid and persistent, hoping to convince the Saudis to take the leap toward normalization with Israel and cement his legacy as a peacemaker in the region.
But the conversation behind closed doors was far from simple. While the two leaders praised each other in public, U.S. officials described the private exchange as tense. MBS, though expressing a desire to move forward, stood firm. He explained to Trump that “Saudi society isn’t ready for such a move now,” citing the highly anti-Israel sentiment among the Saudi public in the aftermath of the Gaza war. The sources told Axios that MBS made it clear: normalization could not proceed unless Israel agreed to what he called “an irreversible, credible and time-bound path” for a Palestinian state. This condition, while not a flat-out rejection, presented a significant obstacle, as Israel’s government remains staunchly opposed to any such plan.
“The best way to say it is disappointment and irritation,” a source with knowledge of the meeting told Axios. “The president really wants them to join the Abraham Accord. He tried very hard to talk him. It was an honest discussion. But MBS is a strong man. He stood his ground.” Another U.S. official added, “MBS never said no to normalization. The door is open for doing it later. But the two-state solution is an issue.”
Trump, undeterred, publicly announced plans to supply Saudi Arabia with the same advanced F-35 fighter jets that Israel currently operates. This move, however, quickly became a point of contention. A day later, Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Saudi Arabia would actually receive a downgraded version of the F-35, so as not to undermine Israel’s qualitative military edge—a commitment enshrined in U.S. law. “We told the Israelis we are committed to the QME and we are not going to violate it,” a U.S. official told Axios.
Meanwhile, the Saudi Cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, welcomed Trump’s efforts to end conflicts in Sudan and Gaza, emphasizing the importance of a “genuine pathway to a two-state solution,” according to the Saudi Press Agency. The Cabinet also highlighted the necessity of a complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza to enable reconstruction and provide stability. The ministers praised the agreements signed with the U.S. in defense, artificial intelligence, civil nuclear energy, critical minerals, education, and finance, and expressed eagerness to capitalize on the $270 billion in investments announced during the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum. These partnerships, officials said, are aimed at building a diversified and sustainable Saudi economy and creating opportunities across a range of sectors.
Yet, the diplomatic chessboard extended far beyond Israeli normalization. As reported by Al-Akhbar and Israel Hayom, Trump authorized MBS to manage a backchannel between Washington and Tehran, a move designed to avert further regional escalation and address the perennial challenge of Iran’s nuclear program. Bin Salman argued to Trump that a U.S.-Iran understanding was essential for regional stability and warned that Israel might try to derail any diplomatic progress through renewed military action. Sources cited by Al-Akhbar revealed that bin Salman had previously met with Ali Larijani, Iran’s National Security Council chief, who responded positively to the idea of mediation but insisted that Tehran was not prepared to make concessions.
Following the White House meeting, Saudi officials reportedly contacted Iranian leadership and agreed to hold a senior Saudi-Iranian meeting in Paris within 24 hours, to be followed by Saudi shuttle diplomacy between the United States and Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was scheduled to meet his French counterpart in Paris to discuss Iran’s nuclear program and the status of two French citizens in Tehran. However, there was no independent confirmation of a parallel Saudi-Iranian meeting in the French capital.
The mediation effort faced skepticism in Tehran. Iranian officials denied that a letter from President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Saudi crown prince was about reviving nuclear talks, describing it as a routine message concerning Hajj coordination. The government’s news agency, IRNA, argued that the real obstacle was not mediation, but a lack of shared understanding with Washington on the terms of diplomacy. “Tehran wants ‘equal and fair’ diplomacy rather than what it describes as US attempts to dictate terms,” IRNA stated, adding that the question of mediators like Saudi Arabia or Egypt was secondary to a genuine shift in the U.S. approach.
There were also signs that Saudi Arabia’s mediation with Iran was intended, at least in part, to help facilitate reconciliation in Yemen—a point that reportedly met resistance from pro-Israel American officials. For the Saudis, the logic was clear: stability in the Middle East could not be achieved without a pragmatic understanding with Iran. Trump, for his part, did not oppose the idea, and both leaders agreed on the need for a broader diplomatic strategy.
Amid these diplomatic maneuvers, the future of Iran’s nuclear program remained uncertain. Tehran recently suspended its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), sparking renewed debate over whether Western powers might seek to bring the issue before the United Nations Security Council. Koroush Ahmadi, a former diplomat, told the state-run newspaper Iran that the IAEA’s recent resolution lacked direct enforcement mechanisms and that Iran’s response should be seen as proportional. He suggested that the West’s decision not to refer the case to the Security Council could signal an opening for renewed negotiations.
As the dust settles from this flurry of diplomatic activity, one thing is clear: the road to Middle East peace remains fraught with competing interests, public opinion, and the ever-present risk of renewed conflict. Whether the efforts of Trump, MBS, and their counterparts will yield lasting results is an open question, but the stakes—regional stability, nuclear nonproliferation, and the prospect of normalization—could hardly be higher.
