US envoy Tom Barrack told CNN the sides are “very close” to an agreement on a process aimed at securing a temporary pause in hostilities with Iran, Middle East Eye reported.

Qatar, Pakistan and other US allies had brought the sides to that point, and President Donald Trump and his administration were seriously considering “kinetic action”; asked about a possible “short, sharp” military operation against Iran, Barrack said the option remains on the table. Saudi Arabia has asked the Trump administration to “give diplomacy a chance” before a final decision on a strike, two regional sources told the Jerusalem Post, and Riyadh fears the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) could retaliate against Saudi water, electricity and oil and energy infrastructure.