Saudi Arabia urging US to ramp up Iran attacks, intelligence source confirms

Saudi Arabia Iran conflict: Riyadh pushes Washington to expand strikes on Tehran, spy chief confirms

By Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief asked Washington to intensify military strikes against Iran after Israel’s April 19 attack on Isfahan, a senior Western intelligence official told The Guardian.

The request, delivered in private talks this week, marks the first confirmed Saudi attempt to escalate US-Iran hostilities since the April exchange of fire between Tehran and Jerusalem.

Riyadh fears Iran’s nuclear program is approaching weapons capability and views expanded US action as the fastest route to delay enrichment without triggering a regional ground war, diplomats familiar with the talks said.

The appeal puts the Biden administration under fresh Gulf pressure days before Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Riyadh for talks on Gaza and regional security, according to a State Department schedule released Friday.

Saudi officials argue that limited Israeli strikes have failed to deter Tehran and want Washington to target uranium enrichment sites at Natanz and Fordow, the intelligence source said.

The White House National Security Council did not respond to requests for comment on the Saudi approach.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York said any new attack would meet “swift and decisive” retaliation, spokesperson Alireza Miryousef told reporters.

Congressional aides briefed on the matter said the Pentagon presented options ranging from cyber operations to cruise-missile strikes should Iran cross enrichment thresholds.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told senators Tuesday that “all options remain available” to prevent Iranian nuclear weaponization, a Pentagon transcript confirmed.

Oil prices rose 3% after the Guardian report, with Brent crude trading above $90 per barrel for the first time since October, exchange data showed.

Background

Saudi Arabia and Iran broke diplomatic ties in 2016 after Riyadh executed a senior Shia cleric and protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran.

Riyadh blamed Iran for a 2019 missile and drone attack on its oil facilities that knocked out half of national production, a charge Tehran denies.

Indirect talks restored relations last year under Chinese mediation, but rivalry persists as Tehran backs Yemen’s Houthi rebels who launch cross-border missiles at Saudi cities.

Iran announced last month it had enriched uranium to 83.7 percent purity at Fordow, close to weapons-grade levels, according to International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors.

What’s Next

Blinken arrives in Riyadh on Monday for a Gulf Cooperation Council ministerial meeting where Iran policy will headline discussions, the State Department announced.

Separately, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday told reporters the Jewish state could “act alone” if world powers failed to curb Iran’s nuclear push.