Saudi Arabia quietly lobbied Trump to strike Iran – report

Despite publicly calling for a diplomatic solution, the Saudi crown prince reportedly lobbied President Trump privately for weeks to strike Iran, according to a report.

By World Israel News Staff

Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler privately lobbied President Donald Trump for weeks to launch a major air campaign against Iran, despite public calls for both sides to engage in negotiations, The Washington Post reported over the weekend.

The report cited four unnamed sources who said that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called President Trump on multiple occasions over the past month, urging Trump to back plans for a major air campaign against the Islamic Republic.

According to the report, the combined efforts of bin Salman and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who used his meetings with Trump earlier this month and at the end of December to advocate for strikes on Iran, helped lead the president to order the US military to join Israel in a massive air campaign on Saturday.

During talks between the Trump administration and Iran, Riyadh publicly declared it would not allow US or Israeli aircraft to travel through Saudi airspace to strike Iran.

The statement was issued after bin Salman spoke by phone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, during which the Saudi crown prince affirmed his support for a diplomatic solution.

Privately, however, bin Salman argued strenuously for American military intervention.

Bin Salman did not limit his lobbying efforts to President Trump, reportedly warning various American officials that should the US fail to use this opportunity to strike Iran following the massive military buildup, the regime would emerge strengthened and emboldened.

Saudi Arabia’s defense minister, Khalid bin Salman, the younger brother of the crown prince, also pressed the US to take action against Iran, holding closed-door meetings with American officials during a visit to Washington in January.

Sources cited by the report said that Saudi Arabia’s seemingly contradictory signals – privately backing intervention while publicly advocating for peace talks – were intended to minimize Iranian strikes in the event of a war.