“That Saudi officials want de-escalation in the Gulf is new evidence of an evolving strategy for a more pragmatic management of regional challenges. In the aftermath of the September 14, 2019, attacks on Aramco, the crown prince expressed a similar de-escalatory tone in a TV interview. Yet this new pragmatism seems not to have factored into the U.S. calculus, as the assassination of Solemaini has put the kingdom in Iran’s crosshairs.”

–Yasmine Farouk, commenting in an article for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, assessing Riyadh’s take on the Soleimani killing. [carnegieendowment.org/]