‘Historic opportunity to…’: Crown Prince Salman urged Trump to ramp up attack on Iran, report claims citing Saudi intel sources; will Saudi Arabia join Iran war?
Iran-Saudi war: Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has urged US President Donald Trump to ramp up attacks on Iran, a media report said Friday, citing Saudi Arabian intelligence sources.
What MBS told Trump?
According to The Guardian, Saudi intelligence source confirmed an earlier New York Times report that MBS spoke Trump and urged him not to halt the ongoing US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, but to intensify it.
The Saudi source said Bin Salman, in his phone call with Trump, described the US-Israeli operation as a “historic opportunity” to reshape West Asia, and asked the US president to accelerate the military campaign against Iran.
The report comes after Donald Trump on Tuesday confirmed that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince was “fighting alongside us”. “Yes, he is a warrior. It’s true that he is fighting alongside us,” Trump told reporters.
Will Saudi Arabia join Iran war?
According to the source, Saudi Arabia was also keeping military options open, and was considering whether to join the US-Israeli war effort against Iran.
Iran has targeted US military assets and energy infrastructure in neighbouring Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, with missile and drone attacks, since the US-Israeli strikes on February 28. Tehran’s retaliatory strikes have further deteriorated its already fragile ties with its Arab neighbours.
While Saudi Arabia has repeatedly threatened retaliatory military action for Iranian attacks on its soil, Riyadh remains undecided on active military participation in the conflict.
Houthi attack may prompt Riyadh to change stance
According to Saudi journalist and political analyst Mohammed Alhamed, Riyadh may change its position if the Pakistan-led peace efforts fail, noting that Saudi Arabia is carefully planning its response and preparing for a war-like situation, though the Kingdom is at present trying to avoid any direct involvement.
Meanwhile, defense expert Hesham Alghannam observes that while Saudi Arabia has so far managed to maintain a cautious neutrality in the war, Riyadh might be prompted to support the US-Israeli combine of Saudi assets come under attack by the Houthis in the Red Sea.