Saudi Crown Prince and US President: Emphasis on the Importance of Maritime Navigation and Sea Lanes

Washington, Agencies: Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman and US President Donald Trump discussed regional developments on Friday evening, with the talks underway between the United States and Iran taking center stage. The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that the Crown Prince received a phone call from the US President, during which both sides reviewed the cooperative relations between the Kingdom and the United States and ways to bolster them in various fields, alongside discussing several regional and international issues and exchanging views on them. The agency added that the call addressed current developments in the region, including the talks between the United States and Iran, with both sides emphasizing the importance of preserving the security of navigation and sea lanes, and supporting all measures that enhance regional security and stability.

In a related development, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held a phone call with his US counterpart Marco Rubio, where they discussed current developments and emphasized the importance of continuing coordination and consultation between the two countries to support security and stability in the region, according to SPA.

Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif urged Iran to exercise restraint and preserve the peace gains achieved with “difficulty,” during a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The Pakistani Prime Minister stated in a post on the “X” platform that he spoke with Pezeshkian on Friday to discuss regional developments. He added, “We stressed the necessity of exercising restraint and adopting a language of dialogue and diplomacy to preserve the peace gains painstakingly achieved over the past months.” Sharif clarified that he emphasized Pakistan’s readiness to continue playing its role as an honest and loyal mediator to achieve lasting regional peace.

Pakistan, with Qatar’s assistance, played a pivotal role in managing negotiation rounds between the United States and Iran, which concluded with an announcement of a ceasefire agreement between the two sides in mid-April. The agreement faces a severe test due to continued Iranian attacks on Gulf states and attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, which have led to renewed US strikes.

In another development, the US government imposed sanctions on Ali Ansari, an Iranian resident in Dubai, accusing him of facilitating the embezzlement of public funds for the benefit of the “regime elites” in the Islamic Republic, particularly the new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. The Treasury Department framed this action as a response to attacks attributed by Washington to Tehran, which targeted ships this week as they attempted to cross the Strait of Hormuz. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated on “X” that Mojtaba, who has not appeared publicly since his election as successor to his father Ali Khamenei following his killing at the start of the war in the Middle East, “is hiding in isolation while his system collapses.” He added, “The Treasury Department will continue to use every tool available to isolate him and other regime elites from the global financial system. We will preserve these assets for the Iranian people.”