Saudi Arabia’s Washington visit exposes US Iran threat chaos as Trump talks tough without a plan or allied backing Right, so Khalid bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s defence minister, the crown prince’s brother, went to Washington, told the Americans that after weeks of threats you don’t just walk away from the noise you’re making without handing Iran a win, and then left without being told what the hell the US is actually planning, not that anyone else is much the wiser right now. But at the same time, Saudi Arabia has gone on the record saying its airspace and territory are not available for any attack that the US might launch. Those two facts together kill a fantasy Washington lives off. The US is threatening war without locking in allies, without clarity, and without anyone agreeing to share the consequences. So a strike would land as America acting alone, restraint would land as bluff, and delay just drags everyone else through prolonged risk while Washington acts all big and tough. This isn’t clever diplomacy or secret signalling. It’s an ally publicly stepping out of the blast zone while the US keeps talking like it’s still in control of a situation where nobody knows exactly what is going on. Right, so Khalid bin Salman has gone to Washington and has warned that if Donald Trump backs off after weeks of threats against Iran, Tehran’s leadership comes out stronger. That warning has been reported as private, delivered in meetings with senior US officials, and paired with a detail that matters far more than the quote itself: he left without a clear understanding of what the United States actually intends to do. At the same time, Saudi Arabia has been publicly insisting on restraint, stressing respect for Iran’s sovereignty, and stating it will not allow Saudi airspace or territory to be used for an attack Saudi Arabia isn’t “urging restraint” here. It’s protecting itself. Saying its airspace and territory are off the table isn’t messaging, it’s self-defence. It’s Riyadh telling everyone who actually counts — Iran, insurers, shipping firms, energy markets — we’re not volunteering to take the first wave of retaliation. And it’s telling Washington something it doesn’t like hearing: if you decide to hit Iran, you do it without us, without our geography, and without pretending this is a shared project.