U.S. feared Iran could hit Saudi oil fields
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The White House saw a real risk Iran might attack Saudi oil fields in retaliation for Saturday's retaliatory strikes by Israel, which could have meant full-blown regional war, a top U.S. official tells me.
- Iran's supreme leader stopped short of calling for immediate retaliation, suggesting Iran is carefully weighing its response.
Why it matters: Israel's strikes, by hitting military targets rather than industrial facilities, have ā for now ā prevented a wider war. That has been a key goal of President Biden and Secretary of State Tony Blinken since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel.
Between the lines: Saudi Arabia doesn't have defenses as extensive as Israel's layered systems, making the desert kingdom more vulnerable.
- We're told the risk of Iran hitting Saudi oil fields would have arisen had Israel hit Iranian oil fields.
ā” The latest: Israel's retaliatory strike against Iran took out a critical component in Iran's ballistic missile program, Israeli sources tell Axios' Barak Ravid.
- The destruction of the equipment severely damages Iran's ability to renew its missile stockpile and could deter Iran from further massive missile strikes against Israel, the sources said.
