U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed Tuesday that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been urging him to sustain and expand military operations against Iran, putting on the record a lobbying campaign that had until that point rested entirely on anonymous sourcing.
Asked whether the Saudi crown prince was encouraging him on Iran policy, Trump said, “He does, he is a warrior. He is fighting with us, by the way.”
Reporter: Is MBS encouraging you to do certain things related to Iran?
Trump: He does—he is a warrior. He is fighting with us, by the way. pic.twitter.com/WMrTHEcOlt
— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 24, 2026
The New York Times, citing people briefed by American officials, reported that Prince Mohammed has argued in a series of calls over the past week that Washington must press toward the collapse of Iran’s hard-line government, calling the ongoing U.S.-Israeli campaign a “historic opportunity” to reshape the Middle East.
Prince Mohammed has advocated for strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure and deployment of U.S. ground forces inside Iran to seize energy sites and force a government change. Trump has reportedly given increasing consideration to a strike on Kharg Island, Iran’s primary oil export terminal, a high-risk operation whether conducted by airborne Army forces or a Marine amphibious assault.
Saudi Arabia rejected the characterization. “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. “Our primary concern today is to defend ourselves from the daily attacks on our people and our civilian infrastructure,” it added, accusing Iran of choosing “dangerous brinkmanship over serious diplomatic solutions.”
The kingdom’s defensive capacity is under strain. Iranian drone and missile strikes have largely choked the Strait of Hormuz and damaged alternate overland pipelines, eroding Saudi export volume.
Saudi Arabia is burning through its Patriot surface-to-air missile interceptor stockpile at a pace officials say is unsustainable, with global supplies already running short.
A refinery and the U.S. embassy in Riyadh have been struck directly. Two Bangladeshi migrant workers were killed by fragments from intercepted projectiles, and more than a dozen other foreign residents were injured.
Prince Mohammed has told Trump the disruption to oil prices is temporary. U.S. and regional officials are not convinced, the New York Times reported.
No one has seen nor heard from Mojtaba Khamenei and Ahmad Vahidi, the alleged head of the IRGC, since 28 Feb.
This means both were killed by Israel on 28 Feb, that Ali Larijani led Iran from 28 Feb until he was killed by Israel on 17 March, and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has been leading Iran since then.
When Iran says Mojtaba Khamenei is leading Iran, it’s lying!