Saudi Crown Prince spoke with the Kuwaiti leader about criticising Iranian strikes on Wednesday. Pakistani PM contacted him, calling Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping 'unacceptable.'. In Washington, discussions centre on a planned US Saudi nuclear deal. The pact is tied to Riyadh accepting Israel under conditions stipulated by Trump's earlier framework. Iranian officials are assessing how the deal might shift regional power balances. Observers flag that the dual track of defence talks and statecraft has put Riyadh at the heart of Middle Eastern statecraft. Behind the scenes contacts between Riyadh and Washington have continued for weeks, even as blows and counter blows have led the news cycle. A western official said the atomic talks was now tightly bound to the Israel file. Around Saudi decision makers, the focus has remained on keeping the kingdom safe, rather than public messaging. At the same time, Iran is reportedly weighing responses if the deal goes ahead, with a veteran Iranian official warning of fresh pressure across the wider Middle East.