The United States’ Gulf allies, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are urging Donald Trump to continue waging war against Iran, arguing that Tehran has not been weakened enough by 30 days of bombing, U.S., Gulf and Israeli officials tell The Associated Press.
After complaints at the start of the war that they had not received adequate advance notice of the U.S.-Israel attack and that Washington had ignored warnings that the war would have devastating consequences for the entire region, some regional allies argue at the White House that the moment offers a historic opportunity to cripple Tehran’s priestly rule once and for all.
Officials from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain have conveyed in private conversations that they do not want the military operation to end until there are significant changes in the Iranian leadership or a dramatic change in Iran’s behavior, according to officials who spoke to AP.
The call comes as Trump swings between claiming Iran’s decimated leadership is ready to settle the conflict and threatening further escalation of the war if no deal is reached soon.
According to the paper, the Emirates has emerged as perhaps the most aggressive of the Gulf countries and is pushing hard for Trump to order a ground invasion as the war continues and Iranian homophobia threatens to tarnish its image as a safe economic hub for Middle Eastern trade and tourism. Kuwait and Bahrain also favour this option.
Oman and Qatar, which have historically played the role of intermediary between economically isolated Iran and the West, have favored a diplomatic solution.
The sources cited by AP say Saudi Arabia has argued to the US that ending the war now would not lead to a “good deal” that would guarantee security for Iran’s Arab neighbors.
The Saudis say a final war settlement must neutralize Iran’s nuclear program, destroy its ballistic missile capabilities, end Tehran’s support for proxy groups and also ensure that the Strait of Hormuz cannot be effectively closed by the Islamic Republic in the future, as it has done during the conflict.
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