Severing the Serpent's Head Part II: Did MBS Really Urge Trump to Bomb Iran?
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) is said to have urged US President Donald Trump not to halt attacks on Iran immediately. The US-Israel assault on Iran is described as a historic opportunity to reshape the Middle East.
This was reported by The New York Times, citing sources familiar with the conversation between the two parties. It is stated that MBS pushed Trump to destroy Iran’s hardline government.
The source mentioned that MBS views Iran as a long-term threat to Gulf states, which can only be eliminated by removing its government.
Is this true?
The Guardian cited intelligence sources stating that Riyadh not only called for the attacks to continue but also to be escalated.
Meanwhile, Trump is said to have confirmed the reports regarding MBS. “Yes, he’s a fighter. He’s fighting with us,” The Guardian quoted Trump as saying.
On the other hand, there are no reports confirming Saudi Arabia’s active involvement in the US-Israel war against Iran, which has been ongoing for the past month.
Defence expert Hesham Alghannam said that Saudi Arabia is still maintaining its neutrality. However, this may not last long if the Houthis attack Riyadh’s assets.
“I am confident that Saudi Arabia is still maintaining a cautious neutrality in the Iran-Israel-US war. If the Houthis attack Saudi assets, Riyadh may shift to supporting a defensive coalition or limited retaliation,” he told AFP, as reported by The Guardian.
Saudi Arabia itself has been the target of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle attacks, as part of Tehran’s response to the US-Israel attacks on 28 February 2026. A drone attack a week ago struck an oil refinery in Yanbu on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast.
Saudi Arabia’s ability to transport its oil exports via pipeline to the Red Sea means the country is not as vulnerable as its neighbours to Iran’s tactics of imposing a near-total blockade on oil tanker shipments leaving the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz.
The attack on Yanbu signals a warning from Iran that it can also threaten that vital economic route. The threat would multiply if Iran’s ally in Yemen, the Houthi movement, joins the war with its own missile arsenal.
It is stated that Saudi Arabia and Iran have long been rivals in the region. Each claims a leadership role in the Sunni and Shiite Islamic worlds.
The Guardian highlighted leaked US State Department documents mentioning that the Crown Prince’s paternal uncle, King Abdullah, urged the US military in 2008 to “cut off the serpent’s head,” referring to the theocratic regime in Tehran.