An F-22 Raptor conducts a combat air patrol mission over an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, Sept. 13, 2019. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Russ Scalf)
Saudi Arabia has shared intelligence with the United States warning of an imminent Iranian attack on energy infrastructure in the Middle East, including the kingdom, The Wall Street Journal reported on November 1, citing Saudi and American officials.
According to the newspaper, Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and several other neighboring states raised the level of alert for their military forces in response to the warning.
Officials from Saudi Arabia and the U.S. confirmed the information revealed by The Wall Street Journal to the CNN. A Saudi official told the news channel that that kingdom shared intelligence of the possible attack with the U.S. A second American official said that U.S. Air Force F-22 fighter jets are already deployed in Saudi Arabia to counter any threat.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said following the reports that the U.S. is “concerned about the threat picture” and “in constant contact through military, diplomatic, intelligence channels with the Saudis.”
“We won’t hesitate to act in defense of our interests and our partners in the region,” Price said at a department briefing.
The spokesman noted that he was not aware of any public warnings issued through the embassy about a threat and confirmed that the State Department is required to inform citizens.
From his side, Pentagon press secretary Brigade General Pat Ryder would not confirm whether there’s currently a threat, but said that the Pentagon remains “concerned about the threat situation in the region,” and is “in regular contact with our Saudi partners.”
The U.S. reportedly believes the goal of the attack may be to shift attention from the ongoing protests in Iran to Saudi Arabia.
Iran continues to face mass protests over the death of Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old Kurdish woman died in September after being detained for allegedly violating the country’s Islamic dress code for women. Tehran has already accused Saudi Arabia of supporting the protests.
In mid-September, Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Major General Hossein Salami threatened Riyadh over the coverage of the protests by the media it allegedly controls.
Salami claimed that Saudis are trying to provoke the Iranian youth, threatening that if they do not control their media the consequences will be unavoidable.
Riyadh severed ties with Tehran in 2016 after Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran in response to Saudi Arabia’s execution of a Shiite cleric. Iran-backed Houthis (Ansar Allah) in Yemen have also attacked energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia in recent years.
Saudi and Iranian officials have met on several occasions in recent months to discuss a possible reconciliation. Now however, the alleged Iranian threat will likely reignite tensions between the two neighboring states. Not surprisingly, this would play in favor of the U.S.
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