Saudi crown prince pushing Trump to continue Iran war: Report
In a series of conversations over the last week, Salman has conveyed to Trump that he must press toward the destruction of Iran’s hard-line government.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been pushing US President Trump to continue the war against Iran, arguing that the US-Israeli campaign presents a "historic opportunity" to remake the Middle East, reports the New York Times, citing people briefed by American officials on the conversations.
According to the report, in a series of conversations over the last week, Salman has conveyed to Trump that he must press toward the destruction of Iran's hard-line government.
Salman has argued that Iran poses a long-term threat to the Gulf that can only be eliminated by getting rid of the government.
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Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also views Iran as a long-term threat, but analysts say Israeli officials would probably view a failed Iranian state that is too caught up in internal turmoil to menace Israel as a win, while Saudi Arabia views a failed state in Iran as a grave and direct security threat, according to the report.
However, senior officials in both the Saudi and US governments worry that if the conflict drags on, Iran could deliver ever more punishing attacks on Saudi oil installations and the United States could be stuck in an endless war.
Meanwhile, Trump has swung wildly between suggesting that the war could end soon and signaling it would escalate.
Yesterday, the president posted on social media that his administration and Iran had held "productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities," though Iran disputed the idea that negotiations were underway.
