Dubai: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman has called on US troops to remain in Syria, despite US President Donald Trump saying that US forces will be pulled from the country in the future.

“We believe American troops should stay for at least the mid-term, if not the long-term,” Prince Mohammad told Time magazine on Thursday.

The crown prince is currently on a three-week visit to the US, hoping to ramp up support for Saudi Arabia, both economically and politically.

He said that US troop presence in Syria is the last effort to reign in Iran. The US maintains a remote base at Deir Ezzor in Syria.

Under Prince Mohammad, Saudi Arabia has severed diplomatic ties with Iran and pressured countries in the Middle East and Africa to curtail their relationships with Tehran, accusing it of meddling in Arab affairs.