American media Wall Street Journal recently claimed that Saudi Arabia has shared intelligence with the United States warning of an imminent attack from Iran on targets in the kingdom.
"We are concerned about the threat picture, and we remain in constant contact through military and intelligence channels with the Saudis," a White House spokesperson said on Tuesday.
"We will not hesitate to act in the defense of our interests and partners in the region," the spokesperson asserted.
The Saudi government media office did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.
"We are in constant contact through military, diplomatic, intelligence channels with the Saudis, and we won’t hesitate to act in defense of our interests and our partners in the region," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters in a recent press conference.
WSJ published the alleged report while relations between Riyadh and Washington have weakened in recent weeks due to OPEC+'s decision to reduce oil production and Iran and Saudi Arabia are holding talks at the security level after a period of cut diplomatic ties. Four rounds of Tehran-Riyadh negotiations were held last year and the fifth round was held several months ago in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.
Referring to the negotiations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kan'ani stated in a press conference, "Our talks are based on bilateral issues and have nothing to do with the process of sanctions lifting talks. We have many common issues with Saudi Arabia in the bilateral and regional fields, and we believe that talks to resume official relations between the two countries will provide the interests of both sides."
Iran's senior diplomat also added that so far, the negotiation process has been positive and both Iranian and Saudi Arabian sides have taken favorable steps forward.
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