Saudi troops at their base in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden in 2015. IMAGE: Reuters
An unnamed Saudi intelligence chief and the Kingdom’s senior diplomat Adel al-Jubeir pleaded with British authorities to carry out limited strikes on Iranian military targets, a senior UK official told Middle East Eye on June 21.
According to the official, the failed Saudi lobbing efforts took place few hours only after U.S. President Donald Trump aborted a planned attack against Iran.
“Our people were skeptical,” the source told Middle East Eye, adding that the Saudi official was told a plain “no” in response to the request.
Trump confirmed that he had called off an attack on Iran, claiming that the expected high number of casualties was behind his decision. The cancelled strike was reportedly aimed against three main targets, including an air-defense site responsible for the downing of the U.S. Navy’s spy drone on June 20.
Middle East Eye claimed that the Saudi intelligence chief will head to Jerusalem next to engage in similar lobbying efforts with Israeli officials and U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton, who arrived in Israel in the early hours of June 22.
These Saudi efforts are not a surprise as the oil-rich Kingdom had openly supported U.S. actions against Iran. Last week, Saudi and U.S. warplane conducted a joint sortie over the Persian Gulf.
