A US official announced, on Sunday, that Iran was preparing to launch an attack on Saudi Arabia, noting that “security coordination most likely stopped these attacks.”
This was stated by the National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, Brett McGurk, at the annual “Manama Dialogue” conference in Bahrain today.
McGurk said that US forces “detected and deterred imminent threats” from Iran, according to what was reported by the American Al-Hurra channel.
He added, “Iran was preparing to launch an attack on Saudi Arabia. It is likely that this attack did not happen because of the close security cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the United States, which is ongoing.”
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He pointed out that the United States is working to build an “integrated” air and sea defense infrastructure in the Middle East at a time of escalating tensions with Iran, which is accused of launching attacks against ships in the Gulf waters.
He stressed that his country is focusing on deterring “imminent threats” in the strategic region rich in energy resources.
The commander of the US Central Command, General Michael Korella, announced during the conference, on Saturday, that a US-led naval force will deploy more than 100 remotely piloted ships in the Gulf waters by next year to ward off maritime threats.
This came after Israel and the United States blamed Iran for a drone attack off the coast of Oman this week that hit an oil tanker operated by a company owned by an Israeli businessman.
The attack is the latest in a series of disturbances in the Gulf waters, which are a major route for global energy supplies.