WASHINGTON — Saudi Arabia and the U.S. have shared information indicating Iran may attack the kingdom or other nations in the region sometime soon, leading Washington and Riyadh to adjust their military posture, according to people familiar with the matter.
The two countries as well as regional allies have raised their military alert level, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing internal deliberations. They described the possible attacks as an effort to distract from nationwide protests that have roiled Iran in recent weeks.
Tensions remain high, with Iran arrayed against Saudi Arabia and other nations in the region after a series of attacks in recent years that included Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps firing more than 70 missiles in September into Iraq’s Kurdish region, where the U.S. still has troops stationed. In addition, a United Nations-brokered truce between Yemen’s government backed by the Saudis and the Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebel militia has expired.
The intelligence-sharing over a potential Iranian attack was reported earlier by the Wall Street Journal.
U.S.-Saudi relations are also strained. President Joe Biden has said he plans to “recalibrate” the two countries’ relationship after OPEC+, with Saudi Arabia in the lead, disregarded U.S. entreaties and ordered a cut in production last month.
Iran has said the U.S. and its partners fomented its domestic unrest, which broke out in early September over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody after she was arrested for allegedly flouting strict Islamic dress codes.
Brigadier General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon spokesman, declined to say Tuesday whether the U.S. had raised alert levels in the region but said the U.S. was in “regular contact” with Saudi Arabia. State Department spokesman Ned Price echoed that sentiment.
“We’re concerned about the threat picture, we are in constant contact through military, diplomatic, intelligence channels with the Saudis, and we won’t hesitate to act in defense of our interests and our partners in the region,” Price said.
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(Bloomberg News staff writers Iain Marlow and Roxana Tiron contributed to this report).
