US President Donald Trump sparked an awkward moment for Saudi officials at a recent investment forum when he appeared to mock Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Trump said officials should tell the Crown Prince to 'be nice' to him, before using a crude remark suggesting that the Saudi leader had underestimated him.
He said: 'He did not think this was going to happen. He didn't think he would be kissing my a**… he thought I would be just another American president of a country going downhill. But now he has to be nice to me.'
Trump later struck a more conciliatory tone, describing Mohammed bin Salman as a 'smart' and a 'regular kind of a guy'.
He also said that the US is close to freeing the Middle East from Iranian 'terror aggression and nuclear blackmail', and that Iran is 'on the run'.
The comments come amid a war with Iran, which has placed Saudi Arabia in a precarious position. Iranian strikes have reportedly targeted key Saudi energy infrastructure, including the Ras Tanura refinery and the Shaybah oil field.
