MARCH 24, 2026
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has reportedly urged Trump to send ground troops into Iran
Saudi Arabia’s leader has urged Donald Trump to deploy ground troops in Iran and believes the war is a ‘historic opportunity’ for regime change.
Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) pressed Trump in several calls over the past week to keep fighting Iran, attempting to persuade the President that the job could not be left half finished, sources told the New York Times.
The pressure comes as Trump announced a five-day halt to US strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure while Washington pursued back-channel talks with Tehran through intermediaries, signaling he may be looking for a way out.
Despite the dialogue with Tehran, US generals are considering deploying around 3,000 troops from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to support a possible ground invasion, joining thousands of Marines already dispatched to the Middle East.
The Saudi Crown Prince made the case that Iran’s government will pose a long-term threat to the region if it isn’t completely wiped out, the officials said.
MBS urged Trump to send troops into Iran to take over the country’s energy infrastructure and to force the current government out of power, the sources added.
Trump expressed concerns that escalating further could push oil prices even higher, with the national average gas price hitting $4.00 per gallon on Monday, up from $2.90 when the war began on February 28.
MBS’s private views contrast with Saudi’s public statements that highlight the kingdom’s desire for a diplomatic end to the war, which has led to retaliatory strikes on its energy sites and strangled its oil exports.
The Prince has advocated for regime change in Iran, noting how if the current government stays in place it will continue to destabilize the Gulf region.
‘The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always supported a peaceful resolution to this conflict,’ a Saudi spokesman said in a statement, adding its officials ‘remain in close contact with the Trump administration and our commitment remains unchanged.’
‘Our primary concern today is to defend ourselves from the daily attacks on our people and our civilian infrastructure,’ the spokesman added.
Iran has targeted Saudi Arabia with missiles and drones since the US and Israel first struck the Islamic Republic on February 28.
‘Iran has chosen dangerous brinkmanship over serious diplomatic solutions. This harms every stakeholder involved but none more than Iran itself.’
The Daily Mail has contacted the White House for comment.
Senior Saudi and American officials fear Iran could further punish Riyadh’s oil facilities with strikes and drag the US into ‘an endless war’ if the fighting continues, according to the Times.
While the kingdom maintains a stockpile of Patriot missile interceptors to defend against Iranian drone and missile strikes, several bombardments have seeped through the Saudi air defenses.
Saudi oil fields, refineries and cities have all been hit with Iranian weapons. So too has the US embassy in Riyadh, prompting the US to evacuate the mission.
But Trump signaled on Monday that the war could be nearing a conclusion, noting that negotiations had begun with Iran, including ‘productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities.’
Iran denied that talks were taking place.
An Iranian official told Fars News Agency, which is aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, there is ‘no direct or indirect contact with Trump.’
If those talks go sideways and Iran doesn’t cooperate, Trump said US forces will keep ‘bombing our little hearts out.’
Striking video shows the moment Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh was targeted by missiles
Thousands of US Marines have been deployed to the Middle East in recent weeks, with at least two units totaling over 4,500 personnel ordered to head towards Iran.
Around 2,500 Marines aboard three ships were deployed to the Middle East late last week, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
A week earlier, the USS Tripoli, carrying over 2,000 Marines, was ordered to leave the Pacific and head to the region.
That would provide the military with 3,000 soldiers for a possible invasion of Kharg Island – where 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports are processed.
Oil prices rose on Tuesday, with Brent crude – the global benchmark – hitting $104 per barrel as optimism about an early resolution to the conflict faded.
Courtesy/Source: Daily Mail
