Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman insists that US President Donald Trump should continue the war against Iran, arguing that the US-Israeli operation is a "historic opportunity" to transform the Middle East.
The New York Times reports this with reference to sources informed by US officials about the course of these conversations.
According to the newspaper's sources, in a series of phone calls last week, Prince Mohammed told Trump that he should insist on destroying the hardline Iranian government. Prince Mohammed is alleged to have said that Iran poses a long-term threat to the Gulf that can only be addressed by removing the government.
However, senior officials in both the Saudi and US governments fear that if the conflict drags on, Iran could launch even more devastating strikes against Saudi oil facilities, and the US could be drawn into a never-ending war.
It is reported that the consequences of the war for the economy and national security of Saudi Arabia are enormous. Iranian drone and missile attacks in response to the US-Israeli attack on Iran have already caused significant disturbances in the oil market.
Sources with knowledge of the conversations said Trump sometimes seemed ready to end the war, but Prince Mohammed allegedly argued that would be a mistake and insisted on attacking Iran's energy infrastructure to weaken the government in Tehran.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman is said to be respected by Trump and has previously influenced the US president's decision-making. According to people briefed by US officials, Prince Mohammed has argued that the United States should consider sending troops into Iran to seize energy infrastructure and remove the government from power.
Some government intelligence analysts have told other officials that they believe Prince Mohammed sees the war as an opportunity for himself to increase Saudi influence throughout the Middle East and believes that Saudi Arabia can defend itself even if the war continues.
In his conversations with Prince Mohammed, Trump has expressed concern about the price of oil and the damage it is doing to the economy. According to people briefed by US officials, the Saudi leader assured him that this was only a temporary phenomenon.
At the same time, Saudi officials rejected suggestions that Prince Mohammed bin Salman insisted on continuing the war.
"The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always supported a peaceful resolution to this conflict, even before it began,” the Saudi government said in a statement, noting that officials “remain in close contact with the Trump administration and our commitment remains unchanged."
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the administration "does not comment on the president's private conversations."
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, meanwhile, Trump said that the Strait of Hormuz would soon be unblocked and controlled jointly by Iran and the United States.
On March 22, Donald Trump stated that he would give Iran 48 hours to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, otherwise he would order the destruction of the country's entire energy infrastructure. In response, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf announced that critical infrastructure and energy facilities in the Middle East could be "irretrievably destroyed" in the event of an attack on Iranian power plants.
But on March 23, US President Donald Trump said that he had ordered to postpone strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for 5 days.
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