Saudi Crown Prince spoke with the Emir of Kuwait about criticising Iranian strikes on Wednesday. Pakistani PM contacted him, calling Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping 'unacceptable.'. In Washington, discussions focus on a planned nuclear pact between Washington and Riyadh. The pact is tied to Riyadh accepting Israel under conditions stipulated by ex president Donald Trump. Iranian officials are weighing how the agreement could shift regional power balances. Watchers say that the pair of tracks of security and diplomacy has put Saudi Arabia at the heart of talks across the Gulf. Backchannel talks between the kingdom and American officials have continued through recent weeks, even as blows and counter blows have dominated headlines. One western diplomat said the atomic talks was now woven into the normalisation file. Inside Saudi policy circles, the priority has been on defence and deterrence, rather than public posturing. At the same time, Tehran is reportedly reviewing options if the nuclear arrangement moves forward, with a veteran Iranian official warning of fresh pressure across neighbouring states.