“Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said at a private briefing in Washington that if US President Donald Trump does not implement his threats against Iran, the regime will only get stronger.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
The White House. Photo: Getty Images Source: Axios citing four sources who were present at the meeting
Details: According to the publication, the position of the defense minister of Saudi Arabia during a closed meeting with experts and representatives of Jewish organizations differed significantly from the kingdom’s public statements. Officially, Riyadh warned against escalation and called for a diplomatic solution to the conflict, which became one of the reasons for postponing the American strike.
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On Thursday, Prince Khalid held closed-door meetings at the White House with key Trump administration officials: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Kaine. The main topic of discussion was a potential American attack on Iran.
Axios’ sources suggest that Riyadh’s change in position is due to the belief that Trump has already made up his mind to strike. The Saudis do not want to be in opposition to Washington’s actions, despite public statements about “respect for Iran’s sovereignty.”
At the same time, representatives of the Persian Gulf region note that the situation is deadlocked. On the one hand, the US strike carries great risks of escalation, on the other hand, failure to fulfill the forecast will lead to the fact that “Iran will come out of this stronger.”
“At this stage, if this (strike – ed.) does not happen, it will only add courage to the regime,” the sources quoted bin Salman as saying.
What preceded:
- On Wednesday, January 28, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a conversation with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian, during which he assured him that the kingdom would not allow the US to use its airspace for an attack.
- Currently, on the order of Trump, the US Navy is conducting a large-scale buildup of forces in the Persian Gulf. White House officials say that the final decision on the start of the military operation has not yet been made.
- According to the data The New York TimesDonald Trump was presented with a number of military scenarios that include strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and the possible landing of special forces.
- The US president demands that Tehran sign a new nuclear deal, threatening an operation the scale of which will exceed “Northern hammer” in June 2025.
- The Institute of Science and International Security reported on January 29 that satellite images the beginning of Iran’s backfilling of the entrances to the tunnels at the nuclear facility in Isfahan was recorded, which indicates preparations for the bombings.