US Senator Lindsey Graham traveled to Saudi Arabia late in February to bring Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “on board” with an attack on Iran, and the Saudi leader did not vehemently oppose it, a US official familiar with the matter told Middle East Eye.
Graham’s visit was previously reported, but the purpose of the meeting with the Saudi crown prince has not been previously revealed.
The visit suggests that the Trump administration had made up its mind to attack Iran even as negotiations were ongoing with the Islamic Republic.
Despite preferring a diplomatic deal, the Iranian strikes have galvanised anger in the Gulf. A US and Arab official familiar with the matter told MEE that Saudi Arabia is now inching closer to supporting military action against Iran.
Saudi Arabia’s Press agency said on Saturday that Riyadh condemned “the brutal Iranian attacks” against fellow Gulf states, which they said undermined the region’s “security and stability”.
