Keep Hitting Iran Hard: Mohammed bin Salman Urges Trump

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been privately urging US President Donald Trump to keep hitting the Iranians hard, according to White House officials cited by the New York Times. The message signals that Saudi’s hardline stance toward Tehran remains firmly intact and may even be intensifying.

The reported advice echoes the blunt warning once delivered by the late Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, who famously urged U.S. to “cut off the head of the snake,” referring to Iran’s growing regional power.

Tensions Rising in Gulf

The developments come at a time of rising tensions across the Gulf. On Monday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed held high-level talks as concerns mount over Iran’s actions and whether Gulf states will maintain their cautious public posture toward Tehran.

According to Al-Arabiya, the two leaders warned that the continuation of Iran’s unjust attacks on Gulf Cooperation Council countries represents a dangerous escalation that threatens the region’s security and stability.

The leaders reaffirmed that GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) nations will mobilize all available resources to defend their territories, strengthen regional security cooperation, and ensure stability in the Gulf.

Strategic Divide in West Asia

The statement highlights a widening strategic divide in the West Asia. For years, Saudi Arabia and its allies have accused Iran of expanding its influence through proxy groups across the region from Yemen and Iraq to Syria and Lebanon while Tehran insists its actions are defensive.

Now, with Washington reportedly receiving stronger encouragement from Gulf partners to confront Tehran directly, the geopolitical stakes are rising. Analysts warn that any sustained escalation between the US and Iran could pull the entire Gulf region into a broader conflict, threatening global energy markets, shipping lanes, and already fragile regional stability.

As tensions build behind closed doors and rhetoric sharpens publicly, the question facing the region is no longer whether the Gulf states oppose Iran, but how far they are prepared to go if confrontation becomes unavoidable.