(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been “pushing” President Donald Trump to keep the war against Iran going full throttle, according to a new report from The New York Times on Tuesday morning.
The crown prince told Trump Iran’s theocratic regime “poses a long-term threat to the Gulf” and must be eliminated before Operation Epic Fury ends during multiple conversations last week, per multiple American officials who spoke to The Times.
“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,” the report said.
Reporters Julian E. Barnes, Tyler Pager, and Eric Schmitt shared the byline on the story.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the paper she “does not comment on the president’s private conversations” when reached.
Here is a key section:
In recent days, Mr. 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 Mr. Trump, according to people briefed by American officials.
The report comes as Trump has signaled the war could be wrapping up sooner than later.
Trump has repeatedly said the war is ahead of the timeline he initially set and that he is now negotiating with what’s left of Iran’s leadership on a deal to end the war. He gave Iran a 48 hour deadline on Saturday to “FULLY OPEN” the Strait of Hormuz, threatening to start bombing the country’s power plants on by one otherwise. He paused that plan on Monday morning after he said his administration had “VERY GOOD” talks with Iran’s regime about ending the strikes, extending the deadline to five days.
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