TOI correspondent from Washington: In the volatile chessboard of Middle-East and Gulf politics, few alignments have been as striking as the quiet convergence between Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia and Jewish state of Israel over the question of Shia-dominated Iran. Long divided by ideology, history, and the unresolved Palestinian question, the two countries have found common cause in what they view as Tehran’s expanding arc of influence — and in the months leading to Washington’s military strike on Iran, their parallel lobbying efforts in the US reached an intensity rarely seen.
According to media reports, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made multiple private phone calls to US President Donald Trump over the past month advocating a US. attack, despite his public support for a diplomatic solution, including pledging, following a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, that Saudi airspace or territory would not be used in an attack on Iran. In his discussions with US. officials, the Saudi leader actually warned that Iran would come away stronger and more dangerous if the US did not strike now, the Washington Post reported on Sunday, suggesting a double game.
