Welcome to Monday.

It is the fifth time Trump TACOed on bombing Iran.

Last Saturday, while the U.S. military was getting ready to (again) bomb Iran. Abbas Araghchi, the foreign minister of Iran, picked up the phone and called up his colleagues in the Arab Gulf states. He read them lists of the individual targets in their countries which Iran would destroy should Trump, for once, do what he promised.

The Gulf countries consulted each other. Mohammad bin Sultan, the Saudi ruler, was chosen to tell Trump – in diplomatese – to shut the fuck up:

HRH the Crown Prince stressed the need to prioritize dialogue to reduce escalation and the importance of making every possible effort to achieve calm that paves the way for diplomatic solutions, preserves the region's security and stability, and prevents a wider conflict whose repercussions would affect regional and international security and stability.

Without exporting oil Saudi Arabia would not be able to import U.S. weapons. It would have to sell treasuries to finance its living.

Explaining such second order effects might well have been what moved Trump:

The crown prince also asked for clarity over U.S. strategy on Iran and the planned strikes, the officials familiar with the matter said.

Behind the scenes, Gulf countries are frustrated with what they see as a lack of a clear strategy from the U.S. as the war drags on, subjecting their territories to frequent Iranian attacks, people familiar with the matter said.

Not everyone has yet come to their senses:

Not all Gulf countries are pushing for de-escalation. Some, such as the United Arab Emirates, have lobbied Trump in recent days to take more decisive action against Iran, according to senior Gulf officials familiar with the discussion. The officials have suggested Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps won't compromise until the U.S. escalates, takes control over the strait and perhaps considers ground operations.

The UAE itself, despite having bought a bunch of Israeli weapons, is unable to defend itself. Its rulers seem to be in need of some serious whacking.