Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed bin Salman is pushing President Donald Trump to continue the war against Iran.
The Saudi crown prince reportedly told Trump last week that the U.S.-Israeli campaign is a “historic opportunity” to recreate the region, according to the New York Times. In a series of discussions, Prince Mohammed pressed Trump to destroy Iran’s theocratic government and launch a ground invasion of the country. The U.S. has denied that regime change in Iran is an objective of its operations.
Officials in Saudi Arabia rejected the claim.
“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 to the outlet.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration would not “comment on the president’s private conversations.”
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It’s not the first time that the U.S. has been accused of carrying out war in Iran for the sake of an ally. In his resignation letter, former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent said Trump was “deceived” into attacking Iran at the behest of Israel. Israeli leadership has vowed to continue airstrikes in Iran even as Trump touts the possibility of negotiations to end the conflict.
“There’s more to come,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday.
