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A latest report in WaPo reveals that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman played a crucial role in persuading President Trump to strike Iran ahead of Supreme Leader Khamenei's killing.
US President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran came after Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, lobbied him repeatedly to make the move, the Washington Post has reported.
The decision followed weeks of lobbying by two key US allies in the Middle East—Israel and Saudi Arabia, the report said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continued his longstanding push for US strikes against Iran, while Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made multiple private calls to Trump over the past month advocating military action, despite publicly supporting diplomacy.
“Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made multiple private phone calls to Trump over the past month advocating a US attack, despite his public support for a diplomatic solution,” the outlet reports, citing four unnamed people familiar with the matter.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack by Israel and the United States, multiple news agencies reported, quoting Iranian state media early Sunday. The 86-year-old's killing has thrown the future of the Islamic Republic into doubt while raising the risk of regional instability.
President Donald Trump announced the death hours earlier, saying it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country.
Iran criticised for hitting neighbouring Arab nations
Earlier, Iran faced widespread criticism from several Muslim-majority countries, including Saudi Arabia, after it carried out retaliatory strikes on US and Israeli military bases located in several Muslim neighbouring nations on Saturday, following the US-Israel attacks on Tehran.
MBS and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed discussed on Saturday Iran's retaliatory strikes on the Gulf and expressed solidarity and sympathy in their first call since a public row in late December.
The Saudi de facto ruler called the Emirati president, and "they discussed regional developments and the blatant Iranian attacks targeting the UAE and several other brotherly nations", the UAE's official WAM agency said.
They condemned a "dangerous escalation that threatens the region's security and undermines its stability".
The crown prince expressed Saudi Arabia's "full solidarity with the UAE, offering all its resources to support any measures the UAE takes" while the Emirati leader "expressed his gratitude and appreciation".
Saudi vs Iran rivalry?
The reaction from Arab nations somehow reflects the enduring strategic rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran. For decades, both nations have competed for political and security influence across the Middle East — a contest often characterised by analysts as a “new Cold War.”
As a sign of fragile détente, the power rivalry is based on religious and political identities — Saudi Arabia represents the predominantly Sunni Muslim world and sees itself as a custodian of Sunni Islam, while Iran is a Shia Muslim state.
This sectarian divide has often been invoked by both sides in regional competition. Diplomatic ties were severed from 2016 to 2023 due to incidents like the execution of Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr and attacks on Saudi diplomatic facilities in Iran.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made multiple private phone calls to Trump over the past month advocating a US attack, despite his public support for a diplomatic solution.
Both the OIC and the Muslim League, considered the largest Muslim organisations, are headquartered in Saudi Arabia and condemned Iran's retaliation on Saturday.
(With agency inputs)
About the Author
Gulam Jeelani
Gulam Jeelani is Political Desk Editor at LiveMint with over 16 years of experience covering national and international politics. Based in New Delhi, ...Read More
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