US Central Command chief Kenneth McKenzie stated on Thursday that evidence points to Iran’s connection to attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.
The US general was talking to reporters in Riyadh at a joint news conference with General Prince Fahd bin Turki, commander of the Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen.
Asked by Asharq Al-Awsat about the growing Iranian threat in the region, he replied that Washington was not seeking war with Tehran.
The US is seeking to change Iran’s behavior and deter its destabilizing actions in the region, he added.
The attacks by Iran’s proxies on Saudi Arabia are a problem that must be addressed, McKenzie stressed.
This is an international responsibility, not just an American one, he remarked. The US will ensure that it will be part of the solution.
“We are currently talking with the international community about the right to freedom of navigation in the Middle East that will include passage to the Strait of Hormuz and passage to the Bab al Mandeb,” Mckenzie said.
Saudi officials took McKenzie on a tour of an exhibit displaying missiles and drones produced by Iran and used in the Houthi attacks.
