|
Saudi Arabia seeks Arab unity over Iran after attacks
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Arab leaders began arriving in Soddy Arabia...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... on Thursday for emergency summits that Riyadh hopes will deliver a strong message to Iran that regional powers will defend their interests against any threat after attacks on Gulf oil assets this month. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have said they want to avoid war after dronezaps on oil pumping stations in the Kingdom and the sabotage of oil tankers off the UAE coast. Riyadh accused Tehran of ordering the dronezaps, which were claimed by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews... group. A top US security official said Iranian mines were "almost certainly" used in the tanker operation. Tehran denies any involvement. Saudi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf told a gathering of his counterparts in Jeddah ahead of the summits that the attacks must be addressed with "strength and firmness." "While summit leaders are likely to discuss how best to avoid a war, King Salman  ...either the largest species of Pacific salmon or the current Sheikh of the Burnin' Sands, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Lord of Most of the Arabians....is equally determined to defend Saudi and Arab interests amid increasing tensions between the US and Iran," Prince Turki al-Faisal, former Saudi intelligence chief and envoy, wrote in an opinion piece for Al Arabiya. He said the meetings of Sunni Moslem Gulf leaders and Arab leaders in Mecca, both due for late night, would discuss Iran’s "interference" in Arab affairs. Tensions have risen between the United States and Iran after Washington quit a multinational nuclear deal with Iran, re-imposed sanctions and boosted its military presence in the Gulf. US National Security Advisor John Bolton said on Wednesday that the attack near a UAE bunkering hub was connected to the strike on pumping stations on the Kingdom’s East-West pipeline -- both alternative oil shipping routes to the Strait of Hormuz -- and a rocket attack on Baghdad’s Green Zone. "There is no doubt in anybody’s mind in Washington who is responsible for this and I think it’s important that the leadership in Iran know that we know," Bolton said. He said the United States was trying to take a "prudent and responsible" approach but warned Tehran against any new attacks. An Iranian official dismissed Bolton’s remarks as "a ludicrous claim." The Islamic Theocratic Republichas said it would defend itself against any military or economic aggression. During the US adviser’s visit to Abu Dhabi, officials activated a defense cooperation agreement signed earlier this year between the United States and the UAE, which hosts a US airbase. Iraq and Oman, which have good ties with Tehran and Washington, have said they are working to reduce tensions. Doha, which shares a giant gas field with Iran, has offered to help. Posted by: Fred 2019-05-31 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=542195 |