Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received US senator Lindsey Graham in Riyadh on Thursday to discuss recent developments in the region, including tensions with Iran.
The meeting focused on the relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia, as well as regional and international matters, Saudi state media reported.
Mr Graham's trip to Saudi Arabia followed a visit to the UAE, where he met President Sheikh Mohamed, and revealed to The National that military planning for a strike on Iran is under way.
"The military capability is being built up as I speak. The inflection point is weeks away, not months away," he said in Abu Dhabi. "That's why I'm here. That's why I haven't slept. Because you see this can go really good or really bad."
Mr Graham also spoke of another regional matter, after several weeks of intense criticism of the UAE through Saudi social media and TV channels. He urged the countries to put aside their differences and focus on the "big prize" of replacing Iran's regime.
"Saudi Arabia is now moving backwards. They're attacking the United Arab Emirates viciously for being in the Abraham Accords,” he said. “I'm here to get everybody back together on the big prize. The big prize is for the Iranian regime to be replaced by people that don't want to blow us all up and kill everybody all the time."
In a post on X after meeting Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, Mr Graham wrote that Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei may be replaced soon.
"A future in which [Prince Mohammed] and other allies are partners with the United States, and the Ayatollah is out of the picture, would be transformative for the Middle East and the rest of the world," he added. "This moment may be upon us. Let us act decisively if that moment comes."
He described the meeting with Prince Mohammed as "very friendly, extensive and consequential". The senator added that "there is no doubt in my mind that [Prince Mohammed] is fully committed to his original vision that includes regional integration".
He said he was hopeful that a dialogue could be started between Saudi Arabia and the UAE "as soon as possible".
"The forces of evil in the Middle East have dwindled, but they still exist," Mr Graham said. "It is my hope that if the Iranian regime is replaced by the Iranian people, it would not only lead to a bright future for Iran, it will also open up a new path for normalisation."
