Reuters quoted two sources familiar with the matter as saying that Saudi Arabia will freeze its plans to normalize its relations with Israel, indicating that it is seeking to rethink its foreign policy priorities in light of the escalation of Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received the first phone call from Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi as Riyadh tries to stave off rising and widespread violence across the region.
The sources told Reuters there would be a delay to U.S.-backed talks on normalization with Israel, a key step for the kingdom to secure what it sees as the real fruit of a defense deal with the United States in return.
The first source said talks could not resume now, and that the issue of Israeli concessions to the Palestinians would have to be greater necessities when talks resumed.
The source added that Washington pressured Riyadh this week to condemn the Hamas attack, but said Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan had rejected it. This was confirmed by an American source familiar with the matter.
The agency also quoted Saudi analyst Aziz al-Ghashyan as saying that "normalization was already considered taboo (in the Arab world), and this war only highlights that."
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said during a White House briefing this week that normalization efforts had "not been delayed," but said the focus was on other urgent challenges.
Saudi Crown Prince (right) told Raisi that the Kingdom is doing its utmost to stop the escalation in Gaza (agencies)
Iran and Saudi Arabia
The regional conflict prompted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to speak for the first time after a Chinese-brokered initiative that prompted the two countries to resume diplomatic ties in April.
A Saudi statement said the crown prince told Raisi that "the kingdom is doing its utmost to communicate with all international and regional parties to stop the ongoing escalation," confirming Riyadh's move to contain the crisis.
The Saudi government did not provide further details of the call, but the statement said the crown prince reiterated the kingdom's opposition to "any form of targeting civilians and the loss of innocent lives" and expressed Riyadh's "unwavering position in defending the Palestinian cause."
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Raisi's call with the crown prince was aimed at supporting "Palestine and preventing the spread of war in the region."
Asked about the Iranian president's contact with the Saudi crown prince, a senior State Department official said Washington was in "constant contact with Saudi leaders."