Saudi prince pushes for ‘total destruction’ of Tehran regime in recent calls with Trump: NY Times

Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is reportedly lobbying US President Donald Trump to prolong the ongoing military offensive against Iran, describing the conflict as a "historic opportunity" to fundamentally alter the Middle Eastern landscape.

According to a report run on Tuesday by the New York Times, which cited unnamed sources briefed on high-level discussions between the two leaders, the Saudi prince has argued that the total dismantling of the Tehran government is the only way to eliminate the long-term security threats facing the Gulf.

Prince Mohammed is encouraging the White House to maintain its aggressive stance, the report said, adding that his rationale is rooted in the belief that a halfway measure would leave Saudi Arabia vulnerable to a vengeful and emboldened Iranian regime.

While Israel also views Tehran as a primary threat, mostly unnamed analysts noted to the US-based newspaper a strategic divergence: whereas Israel might tolerate a failed Iranian state consumed by internal chaos, Riyadh views such a power vacuum as a direct and grave peril to its own borders.

The conflict’s impact has been felt acutely in the global energy market. Retaliatory strikes by Iran have severely restricted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the primary artery for Saudi, Emirati, and Kuwaiti oil exports. Although Riyadh has developed bypass pipelines, these alternative routes have also been targeted, the report said.

The NYT report highlights that Prince Mohammed has even suggested the United States consider ground operations to seize Iranian energy infrastructure, specifically Kharg Island, a critical oil hub, to force a collapse of the current administration.

President Trump has reportedly expressed concerns about skyrocketing oil prices and their toll on the global economy. In response, the crown prince has allegedly assured the US president that the economic turbulence is merely temporary.

Publicly, the Saudi government has rejected claims that it is pushing for an extension of the war, the New York Times article noted.

In an official statement, the report said, Riyadh maintained that it has always advocated for peaceful resolutions and that its primary focus remains defending its citizens and infrastructure from daily drone and missile barrages.

"Iran has chosen dangerous brinkmanship over serious diplomatic solutions," the report quoted a Saudi government statement.

The war has already taken a human toll beyond the immediate combatants, the report added, with projectile fragments from interceptions killing two Bangladeshi migrant workers and injuring over a dozen other foreign residents in Saudi Arabia.

The report said a protracted war poses a significant threat to Prince Mohammed’s "Vision 2030" plan, which aims to transform the kingdom into a global business and tourism hub.

The success of these ambitious megaprojects relies heavily on regional stability to attract foreign investment, which is likely to be impacted by a prolonged war, the report said.

"Saudi officials certainly want the war to end, but how it ends matters," Yasmine Farouk of the International Crisis Group told the NYT, suggesting that Riyadh is terrified of being left to face an enraged Iran alone if the US withdraws prematurely.