Recent intelligence warnings of imminent Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia prompted the US Central Command (CENTCOM) to launch Persian Gulf region-based warplanes toward Iran.
The previously unreported scrambling of the jets, part of an overall elevated alert status of US and Saudi forces, is the latest illustration of the strength and importance of a partnership the Biden administration has said it is now reevaluating amidst the controversy between the two states related to oil production.
After Riyadh warned the US that Iran was planning an attack against both Saudi Arabia and Iraq, the US military raised their alert level in response to the credible threat of Iranian missile and drone attacks.
The White House National Security Council expressed at the time its concerns about the threat and stressed that it is in constant contact with Saudi Arabia.
The White House declined to comment on more recent developments, and the reported scrambling of US warplanes although Washington did confirm the initial media reports.
Noting that the command is committed to the US’s long-standing strategic military partnership with Saudi Arabia, CENTCOM spokesperson Joe Buccio said on Saturday that they’ll not discuss operation details.
Though the location from which they got off the ground remained unknown, CENTCOM maintains significant air assets in the Persian Gulf region, including F-22 fighter jets in Saudi Arabia, where currently there are about 2,500 US forces involved mainly in high-tech intelligence work and training.
On top of that, nearly three-quarters of all weapons systems used by the Saudi military, including constantly needed parts, repairs, and upgrades, have been supplied by the US.
According to reports, Iran denied last week that it posed a threat to Saudi Arabia, with Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani calling the reports of an Iranian threat against the Kingdom baseless accusations and untrue.
Tehran, which is struggling with the protests that have swept the country since mid-September, was allegedly planning these attacks against Saudi Arabia and Iraq as a way of drawing attention from the events.
Iran has more than once blamed both the US and Saudi Arabia for the ongoing protests, going as far as to launch a number of strikes against Kurdish militias in eastern Iraq shortly after the protests began.
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