The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed U.S. sources and officials in the region, reported yesterday that Saudi Arabia has shared intelligence with the U.S. warning of an imminent attack from Iran on targets in the Kingdom and in Iraq. Saudi officials said Iran is poised to carry out attacks in an effort to distract attention from domestic protests that have roiled the country since September. This comes days after the Saudis expressed interest in joining the BRICS, which the British and other financial interests would be devoutly committed to stopping.
In response to the warning, Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and several other neighboring states have raised the level of alert for their military forces, the unnamed officials said. They didn’t provide more details on the Saudi intelligence.
“We are concerned about the threat picture, and we remain in constant contact through military and intelligence channels with the Saudis,” an unnamed National Security Council spokesperson told the Journal. “We will not hesitate to act in the defense of our interests and partners in the region.”
Tehran has apparently been getting agitated about what it says is Saudi interference in the domestic situation inside Iran. Last month, the Journal says, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps publicly warned Saudi Arabia to rein in coverage of the protests in Iran by Farsi-language satellite news channels, including Iran International, a Saudi-backed satellite television channel based in London popular with many Iranians. “This is our last warning, because you are interfering in our internal affairs through these media,” Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami said in remarks reported in state media at military drills in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. “You are involved in this matter and know that you are vulnerable.”
