According to The New York Times, officials from the Trump administration have confided to friends that in recent weeks, Saudi Arabia's de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), has been urging Trump to continue waging war against Iran, believing that U.S.-Israel military action presents a "historic opportunity to reshape the Middle East." The Saudi crown prince has explicitly told Trump that the hardline Iranian government must be completely destroyed; the United States should consider sending troops into Iran to seize energy infrastructure and force the Iranian government to fall. He believes that Iran poses a long-term threat to the Gulf region, and only by toppling its government can this threat be eliminated. Netanyahu also views Iran as a long-term threat, but analysts note that Israel might consider it a victory if Iran descends into severe internal chaos and becomes unable to threaten Israel. However, Saudi Arabia sees a failed-state Iran as posing a serious and direct security threat to itself. Nevertheless, both Saudi and U.S. senior officials are concerned that if the conflict continues, Iran might launch more destructive attacks on Saudi oil facilities, while the U.S. could become trapped in an endless war. Yet shortly after the news broke, the Saudi government denied that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had attempted to push for prolonging the war.
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Original article: toutiao.com/article/1860602558424203/
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