Saudis plead ignorance

Riyadh – Saudi Arabia was not consulted by its ally Washington over a US drone strike that killed a top Iranian general, an official said yesterday, as the kingdom sought to defuse soaring regional tensions.

Saudi Arabia is vulnerable to possible Iranian reprisals after Tehran vowed “revenge” following the strike on Friday that killed powerful commander Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad.

“The kingdom of Saudi Arabia was not consulted regarding the US strike,” a Saudi official said, requesting anonymity. “The kingdom stresses the importance of exercising restraint to guard against all acts that may lead to escalation, with severe consequences.”

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry made a similar call at the weekend and King Salman emphasised the need for measures to defuse tensions in a phone call on Saturday to Iraqi President Barham Saleh.

In a separate phone call, with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stressed “the need to make efforts to calm the situation and de-escalate tensions”, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

The crown prince has instructed Prince Khalid bin Salman, his younger brother and deputy defence minister, to travel to Washington and London in the next few days to urge restraint, Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported. The prince will meet White House and US defence officials.

The killing of Soleimani, seen as the second-most powerful man in Iran, is the most dramatic escalation yet in spiralling tensions between Washington and Tehran.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, both allies of Washington, are also vulnerable to Iranian counterstrikes, analysts say. They warn pro-Iran groups have the capacity to carry out attacks on US bases in Gulf states and against shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.