"There is no doubt within the Administration that Iraq is going to be ours fairly soon. It's inevitable. Likewise, when the Iranian people depose the mullahs, we'll be invited in to help get them on the right track. The big question was, "What's next after Iraq and Iran?"
This article answers the question."
There's a three-month old article on Strategy Page, at http://www.strategypage.com/strategypolitics/articles/20020501.asp which said:
"Once we've secured the oil production of Iraq (which necessarily means our control of Kuwait's) and obtained a friendly regime in Iran, the continued existence of the Saud regime will no longer be in America's interest. The Saud regime is the dominant source of funding for terrorism, especially terrorism against the United States. I expect loss of Saudi funding will cause Islamic terrorism outside Arab areas and Pakistan to tube, and that in Arab areas will be significantly reduced.The Saudi regime has major problems at home such that we might not be able to keep them in power much longer even if we wanted to (its domestic problems are what drives its funding of terrorism), and it certainly can't stay in power if the U.S. government attempts to bring it down through overt (blockade) or covert means. But as with Iran, we might not have to do anything to terminate the Saud regime.
American-fostered regime changes in Iraq and Iran, alone, could easily cause shaky Saudi domestic politics to spiral out of control, bringing down the monarchy and replacing it with something more radical and anti-American, though there are also liberal and democratic factions."
Bingo.
The one thing we can't permit is for the oil to fall under the hands of an anti-American Arabia. If the House of Saud falls -- and it will -- we have to gain control of that oil. That's why Saudi Arabia is next after Iraq and Iran.