Saudis tell US that Iran may attack the Kingdom
Three US officials said Tuesday that Saudi Arabia has provided evidence with them that implies Iran is planning an attack against the kingdom.
The increased anxiety about a potential strike on Saudi Arabia comes as the Biden administration criticizes Tehran for cracking down on large protests and condemns it for transferring hundreds of drones – as well as technical support – to Russia for use in its conflict in Ukraine.
“We are worried about the threat landscape, and we keep in close contact with the Saudis through military and intelligence channels,” the National Security Council said in a statement. “We will not hesitate to act in defense of our regional interests and partners.”
Saudi Arabia did not reply quickly to calls for comment. Neither did Iran’s United Nations mission.
One of the individuals who confirmed the intelligence exchange called the prospect of an assault “soon or within 48 hours” credible. Based on the intelligence, no US embassy or consulate in the region has issued alerts or recommendations to Americans in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere in the Middle East. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
When asked about reports of intelligence supplied by the Saudis, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder stated the US military is “concerned about the threat posture in the region.”
“We’re in regular contact with our Saudi partners about any information they may have on that front,” Ryder said. “But, as we’ve said before, and I’ll say it again, we reserve the right to protect and defend ourselves regardless of where our forces serve, whether in Iraq or elsewhere.”
Without elaborating, State Department spokesperson Ned Price stated that America is “concerned about the dangerous picture.”
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report about the Saudis exchanging intelligence on Tuesday. Without offering evidence, Iran has claimed that Saudi Arabia and its competitors are fomenting opposition on the streets by regular Iranians.
Protest coverage by Iran International, a Farsi-language satellite news channel based in London that was originally majority-owned by a Saudi individual, has sparked special outrage.
In 2019, the United States and Saudi Arabia blamed Iran for a significant attack in eastern Saudi Arabia, which reduced the oil-rich kingdom’s output and caused energy prices to skyrocket. The Iranians denied responsibility for the attack, but the same triangle-shaped, bomb-carrying drones employed in that attack are now being used by Russian forces in their conflict with Ukraine.
Drones, missiles, and mortars launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have also routinely targeted Saudis in recent years. Saudi Arabia created a coalition to fight the Houthis in 2015 and has been widely criticized for its bombings in the conflict, which have killed a large number of people.
In recent weeks, the Biden administration has placed penalties on Iranian officials for the savage assault on demonstrators following the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, in September following her arrest by Iran’s morality police. The government has also sanctioned Iran for supplying drones to Russia for use in its conflict in Ukraine.
According to Human Rights Activists in Iran, at least 288 people have been killed and 14,160 have been imprisoned throughout the protests. Demonstrations have continued, despite warnings from Iran’s feared paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
During the protests, Iran launched a series of attacks on Kurdish separatist positions in northern Iraq, killing at least 16 people, including an American citizen.
Relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia have also soured since the Riyadh-led alliance of oil-producing nations, OPEC+, announced in October that it will limit output by 2 million barrels per day beginning in November.
The White House has stated that the action is causing it to reconsider its relationship with the Saudis. According to the administration, the production cut is essentially helping another OPEC+ member, Russia, expand its coffers as it continues its nine-month-long war in Ukraine.
On Tuesday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby reaffirmed the administration’s fear that Iran may provide Russia with surface-to-surface missiles.
“We haven’t seen that fear bear out, but it’s something we’re concerned about,” Kirby added.
Even as the United States and others express concern about future Iranian action, the administration has not ruled out resurrecting the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which was negotiated by the Obama administration and rejected by the Trump administration in 2018.
Robert Malley, the United States special envoy to Iran, said on Monday that the government was not currently focused on the accord, which has been frozen since August.
Nonetheless, Malley declined to call the agreement dead, saying the administration “makes no apology” for “doing everything we can to prevent Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon.”
The agreement gave billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for Tehran agreeing to scale back its nuclear programme. It includes limits on enrichment and the amount of material Iran can store, as well as restrictions on the operating of sophisticated centrifuges required for enrichment.
