Saudi Arabia said armed drones struck two of its oil pumpingstations on Tuesday, two days after the sabotage of oil tankers near the UnitedArab Emirates, and the US military said it was braced for “possiblyimminent threats to US forces in Iraq” from Iran-backed forces.
The attacks took place against a backdrop of US-Iraniantension following Washington’s decision this month to try to cut Iran’s oilexports to zero and to beef up its military presence in the Gulf in response towhat it said were Iranian threats.
Tuesday’s attacks on the pumping stations more than 200miles (320 km) west of Riyadh and Sunday’s on four tankers off Fujairah emiratehave raised concerns that the United States and Iran might be inching towardmilitary conflict.
However, US President Donald Trump denied a New York Timesreport that US officials were discussing a military plan to send up to 120,000troops to the Middle East to counter any attack or nuclear weapons accelerationby Iran.
“It’s fake news, OK? Now, would I do that? Absolutely.But we have not planned for that. Hopefully we’re not going to have to plan forthat. And if we did that, we’d send a hell of a lot more troops thanthat,” Trump told reporters.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said therewould not be war with the United States despite mounting tensions over Iraniannuclear capabilities, its missile program and its support for proxies in Yemen,Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.
“There won’t be any war. The Iranian nation has chosenthe path of resistance,” he said in comments carried by Iran’s state TV.He repeated that Tehran would not negotiate with Washington over Iran’s 2015nuclear deal with major powers.
The US military cited possible imminent threats to itstroops in Iraq and said they were now on high alert. The US was responding tocomments from a British deputy commander of the US-led coalition fightingIslamic State remnants in Iraq and Syria who said there had been no increase inthe threat from Iran-backed militia.
The comments “run counter to the identified crediblethreats available to intelligence from US and allies regarding Iranian backedforces in the region,” said Navy Captain Bill Urban, a spokesman at the USmilitary’s Central Command.
Trump withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear deala year ago and has sharply increased economic sanctions on Iran.
Under the accord negotiated by Trump’s predecessor BarackObama, Iran agreed to curb its uranium enrichment capacity, a potential pathwayto a nuclear bomb, in return for sanctions relief.
The Trump administration’s sanctions are designed to chokeoff Iran’s oil exports in an effort to force Iran to accept more stringentlimits on its nuclear and missile programs as well as to rein in its supportfor proxy forces in the region.
US national security agencies believe proxies sympathetic toor working for Iran may have sabotaged the tankers near the UAE rather thanIranian forces themselves, a US official familiar with the latest USassessments said.
The official said possible perpetrators might include Houthirebels in Yemen and Iran-backed Shi’ite militias based in Iraq, but Washingtonhad no hard evidence. On Monday, a US official said Iran was a leadingcandidate for the tanker sabotage but the United States did not have conclusiveproof.
Iran rejects the allegation of Iranian involvement andIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that “extremistindividuals” in the US government were pursuing dangerous policies. Asenior European diplomat voiced skepticism that Trump’s “maximumpressure” strategy would force Iran to capitulate.
“Iran is not falling to its knees,” said thediplomat on condition of anonymity, saying Iran could resume its nuclear workand leave Washington with no option but military action.
“Does Trump want to go to war with Iran especiallyduring an election campaign year?” he asked.
Democratic Party candidates are already campaigning ahead ofthe November 2020 US election aiming to stop Republican Trump being re-elected.