Saudi Arabia has informed the United States about an intelligence report indicating a warning of Iran’s attack on targets in the Saudi kingdom and Erbil in Iraq, as reported by the American news publication Wall Street Journal.
The attacks are planned with the motive of taking away attention from the ongoing protests in Iran. The protests started after the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody for, according to reports she was detained for not wearing hijab properly. The incident fired emotions in the people who came out in large numbers, shaving their heads publicly and burning their veils in protest against the government.
The US is “concerned about the danger picture,” according to a White House National Security Council official who talked with the Wall Street Journal, and “officials stay in continuous contact with the Saudis. We will not hesitate to act in the defense of our interests and partners in the region.“
The warning has made the militaries of Saudi Arabia, the US, and other countries in the Middle East active and has now increased their alert levels. Iran has put the blame for the protest on Saudi Arabia, the US, and Israel. In October, last month, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami, issued a warning to Saudi Arabia that it should not depend on Israel and also hinted at its “glass palaces”.
Riyadh approved agreements negotiated by the United States under which two of its Gulf allies established ties with Israel in 2020, forming a new regional anti-Iran axis. However, Riyadh also initiated direct negotiations with Tehran last year in an effort to defuse tensions caused by Gulf skepticism about the United States’ commitment to the region.
Iran has denied Saudi Arabia’s accusations that it launched a missile and drone attack on its oil facilities in 2019. The dominant Sunni Muslim and Shi’ite powers have been embroiled in conflict for years, supporting friends that are engaged in proxy conflicts around the area.
