On Sunday he flew from Qatar to Saudi Arabia, where he is due to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Later on Sunday, Axios reported that James Mattis, the then defense secretary, had “deep concerns” about the White House request at the time, believing that it risked creating a direct conflict with Iran. Last year, Donald Trump pulled the US out of a multilateral 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. The president’s order for US troops to withdraw from Syria, where they were near Iranian troops and Iranian-backed militias, marked a defeat for Iran hawks in his administration. Conflict could also be triggered if Iran decides to abandon the 2015 nuclear deal.

Source: The Guardian January 13, 2019 18:48 UTC