Secretary of the strand
After Aramco's attacks, oil prices jumped sharply and unprecedentedly in 28 years, and the world's attention turned to Riyadh, and many held their breath waiting for what Saudi Arabia will decide, and whether it will go to war with its neighbor on the other side of the Gulf.
The long days of waiting, and intensified external contacts with Riyadh's strongman Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and came back to mind once again a picture the Saudi media tried to consolidate and promote two years ago through a propaganda film showing Saudi planes and missiles ramming and destroying Iranian defenses, before the Saudi army enters Conquer Tehran, to be welcomed by the Iranians with flowers and admiration.
Previous remarks by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reaffirming in mid-2017 that Saudi Arabia would not be bitten again from Iran, and would not wait until the battle is in Saudi Arabia, "we will work for them to be in Iran, not in Saudi Arabia." . However, the accelerating facts have another language spoken other than what Mohammed bin Salman wished.
Despite the severity of the blow to Saudi Arabia in its most important economic resource, and despite its significant impact not only on the economic level but also on the political and security levels, and on the level of deterrence and strategic position, it has avoided accusing Iran of direct responsibility for it.
And only - so far - to emphasize three things, namely: that the Houthis innocent, including the innocence of the wolf of the blood of Joseph, and that it came from the north, not the south, and that they were carried out with Iranian weapons.
The Saudi political rhetoric seemed to be taking very cautious - unusual in recent times - on this issue, emphasizing Iran's indirect responsibility, and avoiding certainty.
Truce in Yemen
The first signs of the Saudis seeking a truce came after Aramco's attacks a few days ago when the Wall Street Journal reported that Riyadh had agreed to a limited ceasefire in four Yemeni regions, including the Yemeni capital Sanaa, which the Houthis have held since 2014.
Although the move was apparently in response to the Houthis' announcement that they would stop bombing Saudi territory with missiles and drones, it is in essence a very clear message of the desire to reduce tensions with Iran, the region's most powerful ally, especially since the newspaper said Saudi Arabia would seek to expand the truce. To include other parts of Yemen.
Messengers of peace
Attempts to pacify Saudi Arabia with Iran have not only stopped indirect messages in Yemen or the Gulf waters, but have also taken the form of a formal Saudi request from one of its closest friends with Iran to intervene formally to mediate between the two neighbors.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan revealed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had asked him to act as a mediator with Iran to reduce tensions in the region.
Khan said that while traveling from Islamabad to New York, he stopped in Saudi Arabia because of attacks on its oil facilities, and spoke with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, where he was asked to "talk to the Iranian president." "Something is going on and he can't say any more."
Ready to concede
After the statement of Khan; Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi today to reveal in an interview with Al Jazeera that Saudi Arabia - according to what is believed - looking for peace and calm, noting that there is a willingness to make concessions and open files were closed.
Abdul Mahdi said that his visit to Saudi Arabia - in the past days - was to calm down, and that the resolution of the crisis in Yemen could be a key to the solution of the Gulf crisis.
He stressed that all countries involved in the crisis in the Gulf - including America - talking about negotiations, and that Saudi Arabia and Iran are ready to negotiate.
message received
Some of these letters - or at least one of them - have been sent to the Iranian presidency's mail. Iranian government spokesman Ali Rubaie said President Hassan Rouhani had received a letter from Saudi Arabia, delivered to him by a head of state, but did not provide any information on the content of the letter.
The spokesman added that Tehran is ready for dialogue if Riyadh changes its behavior in the region, and stop the war in Yemen, pointing out that the recent ground attack by the Houthis on the Kingdom confirms their ability to carry out the Aramco attack.
Declaration of war and offer of peace
The Saudi Crown Prince's approach to CBS's "60 Minutes" also sounded remarkable. He considered Aramco's attacks a declaration of war, but preferred peace.
He said he agreed with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that the Aramco attack was a declaration of war by Iran, hoping that the response to Iran would not be military, but political.
He stressed that Riyadh and Washington would welcome President Donald Trump's meeting with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani, but it was the Iranians who refused.
He then drifted to peace after the Saudi ship of ambition drifted into a strait where the captain could not pass safely, and it seemed to be a bow to the storm after the "firmness storm" failed.