Concerns over a possible attack on Saudi Arabia mount as the Biden administration criticizes Tehran for cracking down on widespread protests and condemns it for sending hundreds of drones — as well as technical support — to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine. “We are concerned about the threat image and remain in constant contact through military and secret channels with the Saudis,” the National Security Council said in a statement. “We will not hesitate to act to defend our interests and partners in the region.” Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Neither is Iran’s mission to the United Nations. One of the officials who confirmed the intelligence exchange described it as a credible threat of an attack “soon or within 48 hours.” No US embassy or consulate in the region has issued alerts or guidance to Americans in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere in the Middle East based on the information. The officials were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Asked about the reports of the intelligence shared by the Saudis, Brig. General Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said US military officials were “concerned about the threat situation in the region”. “We are in regular contact with our Saudi partners in terms of what information they may have to provide on this front,” Ryder said. “But what we’ve said in the past, and I’ll say it again, is that we will retain the right to protect and defend ourselves regardless of where our forces serve, whether in Iraq or elsewhere.” State Department spokesman Ned Price said America was “concerned about the threat image,” without elaborating. The Wall Street Journal first reported that the Saudis shared the information earlier Tuesday. Iran has claimed without providing evidence that Saudi Arabia and other rivals are fomenting dissent on its streets by ordinary Iranians. Of particular outrage is the protest coverage by Iran International, a London-based Farsi-language satellite news channel once majority-owned by Saudi nationals. The US and the Saudis accused Iran in 2019 of being behind a major attack on eastern Saudi Arabia that halved the oil-rich kingdom’s output and sent energy prices soaring. The Iranians denied they were behind the attack, but the same triangle-shaped bomb-carrying drones used in that attack are now being deployed by Russian forces in their war in Ukraine. The Saudis have also been hit repeatedly in recent years by drones, missiles and mortars fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Saudi Arabia formed a coalition to fight the Houthis in 2015 and has been criticized internationally for its airstrikes in the war, which have killed many civilians. In recent weeks, the Biden administration has imposed sanctions on Iranian officials for their brutal crackdown on protesters following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September after she was arrested by Iran’s morality police. The administration has also hit Iran with sanctions for supplying drones to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine. At least 288 people were killed and 14,160 arrested during the protests, according to the group Human Rights Activists in Iran. The protests have continued even though the terrorist Revolutionary Guard has warned young Iranians to stop. Iran has already launched a series of attacks targeting Kurdish separatist positions in northern Iraq amid the protests, killing at least 16 people, including an American citizen. US relations with Saudi Arabia have also been strained since the Riyadh-led OPEC+ alliance of oil producers announced in October that it would cut production by 2 million barrels a day from November. The White House said it was reviewing its relationship with the Saudis over the move. The government said the production cuts are essentially helping another OPEC+ member, Russia, to shore up its coffers as it continues its war in Ukraine, now in its ninth month. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby reiterated Tuesday that the administration remains concerned that Iran may also provide Russia with surface-to-surface missiles. “We haven’t seen that concern confirmed, but it’s a concern we have,” Kirby said. Although the US and others have raised concerns about potential Iranian action, the administration has not ruled out reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which was brokered by the Obama administration and scrapped in 2018 by the Trump administration. The US special envoy to Iran, Robert Maley, said on Monday that the administration is not currently focused on the deal, which has been stalled since August. But Malley refused to declare the deal dead and said the administration was “not apologizing” for “trying to do everything we can to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.” The deal had offered Tehran billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for the country agreeing to roll back its nuclear program. It includes caps on enrichment and how much material Iran can store, and limits the operation of advanced centrifuges needed for enrichment.
Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
LOLITA C. BALDOR
MATHIOU LI
Aamer Madhani
