According to a Reuters report, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi canceled their planned meeting in Jeddah for Thursday. The cancellation follows yesterday's drone and missile launches targeting Saudi Arabia and last night's US-Saudi strikes on pro-Iranian militia targets in Iraq.
The Zioneer first reported Tuesday evening that Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi had canceled his planned visit to Saudi Arabia, with initial reports offering no reason and later attributing it to U.S.-Saudi coalition airstrikes and an emergency security meeting. A subsequent Reuters report now confirms that the canceled meeting was specifically with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, scheduled for Thursday in Jeddah. The Reuters report attributes the cancellation directly to yesterday's drone and missile launches targeting Saudi Arabia, as well as last night's joint U.S.-Saudi airstrikes against pro-Iranian militia targets in Iraq.
Within the same evening, the timeline of reports evolved rapidly. The Zioneer reported at 22:58 Jerusalem on Tuesday, July 28, that al-Zaidi was expected in Saudi Arabia later that week. That same evening, a cancellation was reported by the Qatari network Al-Arabi, citing an unnamed Iraqi government source. A subsequent update from Al-Arabi, also reported by The Zioneer at 22:58, attributed the cancellation to the U.S.-Saudi strikes and an emergency meeting of Iraq's National Security Council. The source credibility progressed from an anonymous Iraqi official to a regional news network, and now to the international wire service Reuters, which provided the specific detail of the meeting with the Crown Prince and the direct causes.
The military context behind the diplomatic fallout was reported by The Zioneer throughout the day. On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia intercepted multiple drones launched from Iraq targeting oil facilities. The Zioneer reported that the U.S. military announced joint strikes with Saudi Arabia on pro-Iranian militia targets in Iraq, describing the operation as a response to 'unjustified attacks against American forces.' As The Zioneer previously reported in its background on al-Zaidi, the Iraqi prime minister has been navigating a delicate balance between Washington and Tehran, having recently visited both capitals in July.
It remains unclear whether the cancellation signals a broader breakdown in Saudi-Iraqi diplomatic engagement or is a temporary measure pending de-escalation. The Iraqi government has not yet issued an official statement on the matter.
3 developments
- ConfirmedIraqi PM Summons Urgent Government Meeting After US-Saudi Strikes on Pro-Iran Militias
- StrongIraqi PM Ali Al-Zaidi condemns drone attack on Erbil airspace
- DevelopingTop US official: Saudi crown prince invited to G7, couldn't attend due to constraints
- DevelopingSaudi airports suspend flights after attack from Yemen, Iranian media report
Source and signal
- Open-source intake