Saudi Arabia shared with the US intelligence warning of an attack by Iran on targets in the Arab kingdom, which keeps the US military and other forces in the Middle East on high alert. This is what Saudi and American officials told the Wall Street Journal.
The sources added in a conversation with the American newspaper that the alert level has increased in Saudi Arabia, the US Army and other neighboring countries.
According to officials in Saudi Arabia, Iran is ready to carry out attacks on the Arab kingdom and Erbil in the northern Kurdish region of Iraq.
This is in an effort to divert attention from the hijab protest that has been going on in the Islamic Republic for several weeks.
Crown Prince Bin Salman, photo: AFP
The White House's National Security Council said it was concerned by the warnings and prepared to respond if Iran launched an attack.
"We are concerned about the threat picture and we remain in constant contact through the military and intelligence channels with the Saudis," said the spokesman for the National Security Council.
"We will not hesitate to act to protect our interests and our partners in the region."
Since the beginning of the hijab protest in September, Iran has attacked northern Iraq with dozens of ballistic missiles and armed drones. Iran has been accused of helping Kurdish forces inside the country. In one of the attacks, a Kurd who held American citizenship was killed.
Only on Saturday, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, General Hussein Salami, spoke at the funeral of those killed in the terrorist attack in the city of Shiraz, accusing Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United States of a joint conspiracy.
"Let the satellites and the Americans and the British and the Saudis watch the real picture of Iran. Let them know that our people are alive and the American-British-Saudi-Zionist plot will fail like the others. America will not be able to do anything to Iran unless its people surrender," the senior Iranian emphasized.
Salami also conveyed a message to Saudi Arabia and said that "You must be careful. We are aware of your incitement and your rebellion. You cannot undermine the security of our country. We will undermine your security."
Tensions in Iran have increased in recent weeks, against the backdrop of the stalemate in the nuclear talks and the collapse of the Houthi war in Yemen, where the Houthi rebels who receive aid from Tehran are fighting the Saudi coalition.
Another issue at the heart of the tensions is Saudi Arabia's funding of the London-based Iranian opposition channel, "Iran International".
In Iran, Riyadh was accused of fueling the protests in the country through the media.
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