Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said in an interview that the US military should maintain a presence in Syria. “We believe American troops should stay for at least the mid-term, if not the long-term,” the Crown Prince told TIME. He said the American troop presence inside Syria is the last effort stopping Iran from continuing to expand influence with regional allies. US forces inside the country also allow Washington to have a say in Syria’s future, he said. The US maintains a remote base at Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria, TIME said. “If you take those troops out from east Syria, you will lose that checkpoint,” Prince Mohammed warned. “And this corridor could create a lot of things in the region.” The Crown Prince also told TIME that the head of the Syrian regime, Bashar Assad, is not likely to be ousted from power. He said he hopes that Assad will not become a “puppet” for Tehran.