Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has been pushing US President Donald Trump to continue the war against Iran, arguing that the US-Israeli military campaign presents a “historic opportunity” to remake West Asia, according to people briefed by American officials on the conversations.
In a series of conversations over the last week, Prince Mohammed has conveyed to Trump that he must press towards the destruction of Iran’s hard-line government, the people familiar with the conversations said.
Prince Mohammed, the people familiar with the discussions said, has argued that Iran poses a long-term threat to the Gulf that can only be eliminated by getting rid of the government.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel 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.
But senior officials in both the Saudi and American governments worry that if the conflict drags on, Iran could deliver ever more punishing attacks on Saudi oil installations and the US could be stuck in an endless war.
In public, Trump has swung wildly between suggesting that the war could end soon and signalling it would escalate. On Monday, 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.
The consequences of the war for Saudi Arabia’s economy and national security are enormous. Iranian drone and missile attacks, launched in response to the American-Israeli assault on Iran, have already created huge disruptions in the oil market.
Saudi officials rejected the idea that Prince Mohammed has pushed to prolong 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.”
“Our primary concern today is to defend ourselves from the daily attacks on our people and our civilian infrastructure,” the government added. “Iran has chosen dangerous brinkmanship over serious diplomatic solutions. This harms every stakeholder involved but none more than Iran itself.”
Trump has at times seemed open to winding down the war, but Prince Mohammed has argued that would be a mistake, the people briefed on the conversations said, and has pressed for attacks against Iran’s energy infrastructure to weaken the government in Tehran.
This article is based on interviews with people who have had conversations with American officials, and who described the discussions on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of Trump’s talks with world leaders. The New York Times interviewed people with a variety of views on the wisdom of continuing the war and of Prince Mohammed’s role in advising Trump.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said the administration “does not comment on the President’s private conversations”.
Prince Mohammed, an authoritarian royal who has led a sustained crackdown on dissent, is respected by Trump and has previously influenced the President’s decision-making. Prince Mohammed has argued that the US should consider putting troops in Iran to seize energy infrastructure and force the government out of power, according to the people briefed by US officials.
In recent days, Trump has given more serious consideration to a military operation to seize Kharg Island, the hub of Iran’s oil infrastructure. Such an operation, with airborne Army forces or an amphibious assault by Marines, would be immensely dangerous.
But Prince Mohammed has advocated ground
operations in his conversations with Trump, according to people briefed by American officials.
New York Times News Service