In a closed-door meeting held last night in Washington, Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman warned that at this stage, if U.S. President Donald Trump does not follow through on his threats and strike Iran, “the ayatollah regime will only grow stronger.” The remarks were reported by Axios on Friday morning, citing four sources who attended the meeting.
According to the sources, bin Salman stressed that after Trump’s repeated threats, he would ultimately be forced to take military action, while also seeking to reduce the risk of regional escalation.
The meeting, which lasted about an hour, included some 15 Middle East experts from research institutes and representatives of five Jewish organizations. Two sources said the Saudi defense minister conveyed a similar message in his meetings at the White House a day earlier. At the same time, he said during the gathering that he does not know what the Trump administration’s current strategy or intentions toward Iran are.
During those White House meetings, bin Salman met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine. A source familiar with the details said the main focus of the discussions was the possibility of a US strike on Iran.
Earlier on Friday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called to “listen to peaceful protesters,” but accused “those who want to ride the wave of protests to divide the country and incite unrest.” He said, “We are committed to walking the path of justice and standing like a wall against those lying in wait for the Iranian people, from within the country and from outside.”
Trump, for his part, said Friday night that the Islamic Republic wants a deal. “I can say this, they do want to make a deal. I hope it happens,” Trump told reporters at the White House, while warning, “If there is no deal, we’ll see what happens.” When asked whether Tehran has a deadline to reach an agreement, he replied, “Only they know for sure. I’ve delivered the message to them.”
Meanwhile, the opposition-linked news outlet Iran International reported Friday morning, citing a Western source who attended meetings between American and Israeli officials, that the emerging assessment is that a US strike against Iran is expected to take place soon.
According to the source, the question is not whether a strike will occur, but when. “The decision has been made, and now they are waiting for a suitable operational opportunity, which could arise within days, or possibly weeks,” the source said.
The source added that unlike in the past, the goal of the strike this time is not to reach a new agreement with Iran, but to severely weaken the regime to the point of collapse. To that end, he said, a fundamentally different type of attack is being planned, in scope and intensity that Iran has never experienced before. “This time, it will be an unprecedented attack,” he said.
He added that during the exchanges of fire in the “12-day war,” Israel and the United States avoided taking significant risks, but “now the picture has changed.” In his assessment, Washington and Jerusalem see the current situation as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and there is therefore a willingness to take far greater risks.
If Israel joins the move, the source said, and there are existing plans for such involvement, the scale and intensity of the attack would be far broader.
No comments:
Post a Comment