As war in the Middle East widens, Saudi Arabia’s new defence pact could face a major test

Last Thursday, US President Donald Trump said he had a “big decision” coming up about Iran’s regime: Do I want to go in and annihilate them or do I not? […] Anything could happen with me.

This is not the first time he has spoken of such a threat.

But it comes at a very critical juncture.

A war he had once hoped to bring to a swift conclusion is now in its seventh month, and threatens to engulf more of the region.

Over the weekend, the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen said they had attacked “sensitive sites” in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh with missiles and drones.

It’s an escalation that could put Saudi Arabia’s new defence agreement with Turkey and Pakistan – known as the “ Mecca pact ” – to its first serious test.

For Trump, failure to end this conflict in one way or another could also seriously jeopardise his remaining term in office and the United States’ standing in the world.

Why Trump’s options are narrowing Several issues have brought the president to this point.

Consumers in the US and across the world continue to suffer from intensified energy and economic impacts of the conflict.

Also at the weekend, Iran reportedly laid out its latest set of conditions to end the war with the US.

These included ending the war on all fronts, releasing Iran’s frozen funds and ending the naval blockade on Iranian ports.

The US has not yet responded to these conditions.

Should it consider them acceptable, it opens the way for a restart of negotiations, though the prospects look grim for a negotiated settlement to result in at least the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz any time soon.

Iran has felt pain, too.