© Evan Vucci | AP
Donald Trump shakes hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, May 20, 2017.
Donald Trump shakes hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, May 20, 2017.
The plan to use private intelligence operatives to sabotage Iran's economy had been developed by George Nader, an American-Lebanese businessman close to Trump and the United Arab Emirates and a convicted sex offender, and Joel Zamel, an Israeli known for his "deep ties" to Israeli intelligence and security agencies. The plan, at the time of the meeting, did not include the assassination component, though the Saudi officials present sought to probe whether such acts could be included in the campaign.
The Times noted that both Nader and Zamel "saw their Iran plan both as a lucrative source of income and as a way to cripple a country that they and the Saudis considered a profound threat." The plan was said to involve operations like "revealing hidden global assets of the Quds Force; creating fake social media accounts in Farsi to foment unrest in Iran; financing Iranian opposition groups; and publicizing accusations, real or fictitious, against senior Iranian officials to turn them against one another." The two met with Saudi officials in early January 2017 in order to secure funding for the plan, which they estimated would cost around $2 billion.
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